Clause 5 - Orders on conviction in criminal proceedings
Violent Crime Reduction Bill
5:00 pm
Humfrey Malins (Shadow Minister, (Assisted By Shadow Law Officers); Woking, Conservative)
I am grateful.
It is merely a way of drawing the attention of the Minister, and of the House of Commons, to the fact that far too many people in criminal proceedings—it is a different parallel—are not answering bail, and that courts ought to issue warrants without bail at the drop of a hat.
Amendment No. 21, would amend subsection (6), which states that the defendant should have had
''adequate notice of the time and place of the adjourned proceedings.''
Magistrates courts have rules about notice of proceedings; it is often 14, 21 or 28 days. I wonder what is the Minister's view of ''adequate notice''. There is much to be said for making it 14 days. Curiously enough, that is exactly what the amendment suggests.