New Clause 5
Fraud (Trials Without a Jury) Bill
7:30 pm
Douglas Hogg (Sleaford and North Hykeham, Conservative)
On the question of lay assessors, I entirely agree with my hon. Friend about critical mass. Two or three lay assessors is not a critical mass. Again, in the spirit of trying to improve the imperfect, he will keep in mind the Crown court when it acts as a court of appeal from justices. There, one sometimes has a Crown court judge sitting with two justices, and that might be a model on which one could proceed if we have to go down this road at all.