§ 27. Mr. Alexander W. Lyonasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many cases has a jury returned a majority verdict in England and Wales under the powers conferred by the Criminal Justice Act, 1967.
§ Mr. TaverneProvisional figures are available for the period 1st October to 31st December, 1967. These show that majority verdicts of guilty were returned in 116 cases, involving 228 counts and 134 persons. In accordance with the provisions of the Act, a jury is not asked whether a verdict of not guilty was a majority one.
§ Mr. LyonDoes this not appear to justify the view expressed by some of us when the Bill was going through that this would be a modest little reform of the law, which would make a valuable contribution but only in a very restricted number of cases?
§ Mr. TaverneIt certainly affects a restricted number of cases, but whether it is a modest or a major reform is very much a subjective judgment.