Clause 7 - Notification of court and date of trial

Part of Criminal Justice and Police Bill – in a Public Bill Committee at 10:15 am on 15 February 2001.

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Photo of Crispin Blunt Crispin Blunt Conservative, Reigate 10:15, 15 February 2001

I have carefully followed the discussion, and although subsection (1) appears to be simple, it fails a reality check. It is extraordinary to expect a policeman who serves someone with a fixed penalty notice while dealing with disorder on the street to know both the magistrates court where that person will be tried and the date of the trial. He is not an expert listing officer, so it fails the reality test to expect him to be in possession of such information. How does the Parliamentary Secretary expect the procedure to work? That highlights the relevance of the concerns of my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for North-East Bedfordshire.

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