Clause 57
Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill
2:30 pm
David Burrowes (Shadow Minister, Justice; Enfield, Southgate, Conservative)
I welcome the Minister’s mea culpa—long may that continue. These belated provisions to amend the Bill are welcome, but they raise a question similar to one asked earlier about the magistrates courts’ citation and concern about legislation. The Committee will remember that during an evidence session, magistrates said that they were not properly consulted, and that practitioners such as themselves and others who deal with absent clients and defendants day in, day out, could have given clear advice to deal with the problems that the amendments will address. Any magistrates court could say clearly that there is a need to ensure that proceedings
“instituted by an information, where a summons has been issued; and...proceedings instituted by written charge”
were necessary prerequisites when they deal with cases involving absent clients. That illustrates what we heard in evidence sessions and outside the political process—that practitioners such as magistrates and others would want to be fully informed, engaged and consulted when proposals are put forward, so that they can ensure that mistakes do not occur.