§ 3. Mr. Gwilym Robertsasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, in view of the fact that many workers plead guilty to minor offences rather than plead not guilty and thus have to attend court and lose wages, he will introduce legislation to enable minor offenders who do not wish to appear in court to submit a written plea of not guilty together with their reasons for this plea.
§ The Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (Mr. Elystan Morgan)No legislation is necessary for this purpose; but if a defendant wishes to dispute the facts the court is unlikely to be able to reach a satisfactory decision without hearing oral evidence.
§ Mr. RobertsWould my hon. Friend agree that if courts were encouraged to accept such a plea and if forms were issued enabling people to plead not guilty, it would considerably reduce the pressure in many magistrates' courts? Does he further agree that it would make the system more akin to justice in that 1542 there would be a reduction in the tendency for industrial workers to plead guilty to avoid losing a day's pay?
§ Mr. MorganI do not think my hon. Friend can have understood the position. At present it is open to a defendant to do no more than write to the court, giving his reasons for pleading not guilty. It is inevitable that the court will take into account that such evidence has not been given on oath and the defendant has not been subject to cross-examination.
§ Mr. CarlisleWould not the hon. Gentleman agree that, although an accused man might not lose a day's work, all the prosecution witnesses would have to give up a day's work merely because the accused had decided to put in a written dispute of the charge?
§ Mr. MorganI would not dispute that.