To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what guidance he issues to courts on precautions to be taken to ensure that members of the public undertaking jury service do not have criminal records.
Potential jurors must respond to their summons by completing and returning to the Jury Central Summoning Bureau (JCSB) a questionnaire declaring their eligibility and availability for jury service. When the juror has responded to their summons, their details will be checked against the police national computer (PNC).
There will be occasions where a juror does not respond to their summons but does attend court for their jury service. In these cases, courts have been instructed that under Section 2 (5) of the Juries Act 1974 as amended by the Administration of Justice Act 1982, the juror should be asked to complete the confirmation form attached to the jury summons to declare their eligibility on their arrival at court. The court will then ensure a PNC check is undertaken to confirm the person is not disqualified to serve as a juror. If the juror is not qualified to serve, they will be released from jury service.
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