§ 44. Lieut.-Colonel MEYLERasked the Under-Secretary of State for the Home 1968 Department whether he is aware that a person convicted by a court of summary jurisdiction who has a right to appeal from such conviction to a Court of Quarter Sessions is required to enter into a recognisance, with or without a surety or sureties, in a sum up to £80 before he can proceed with such appeal; and whether, seeing that this precludes many poor persons from exercising their right of appeal, he will take steps to remedy this hardship?
Mr. DAVIESI recognise that the obligation to give security for the costs of an appeal before the appeal can be entered must often have the effect of preventing persons who have been convicted at Petty Sessions from appealing to Quarter Sessions, but I am advised that to abolish this requirement of the law would be likely to lead to graver evil than the present law involves.
§ Mr. PRINGLEIs it not inflicting a hardship upon the poor to continue this requirement of security? I should have thought it would appeal to a Labour Government.