Clause 8
6:00 pm
Henry Bellingham (Shadow Minister, Justice; North West Norfolk, Conservative)
Clause 8 is about assembling a jury, and the current situation as I understand it—the Minister will correct me if I am wrong—is that juries must number between seven and 11. However, the clause replaces that figure with one of between six and nine. It might well be a sensible move, but I would argue that what is in place at the moment makes more sense. Six is too small a figure for a jury, and I point out to the Committee that the Bar Council is concerned about that. Furthermore, Inquest has also made the point that since the R v. Middleton case, to which I referred earlier, inquest juries have enhanced responsibilities for providing narrative verdicts. Reducing the figure will put a greater onus on that smaller number of jurors. That is not necessary. Will the Minister tell the Committee what is behind that proposal? Is it going to save any money, and if so, how much?