Clause 3
Fraud (Trials without a Jury) Bill
12:45 pm
Douglas Hogg (Sleaford and North Hykeham, Conservative)
I have two brief points. First, on the full criminality point, the Minister is suffering under an illusion. Nobody who practises in criminal courts thinks it desirable to overload indictments, and judges will not permit it. If the thought is that every offence will be reflected in account on the indictment, that is illusory; the judges will stop it. If those at the Home Office are labouring under that illusion, I wish that they would put it out of their tiny little minds.
Secondly, on a quite different point, it is clear from what the Minister said that the Northern Ireland representatives were not involved in the discussions that were held—in so far as they were—pursuant to the undertaking given by the then Home Secretary. They have every reason to feel aggrieved, which is a further reason for not allowing this particular Bill to apply to Northern Ireland.