§ 20 Clause 6, page 5, line 41, at end insert 'and outwith the presence of any co-accused '.
1779§ Lord MACKAY of CLASHFERNMy Lords, I beg to move that this House doth agree with the Commons in the said amendment. Perhaps I could also speak to Amendments No. 29 and 37. The purpose of these amendments is to deal with the situation that at present all co-accused are judicially examined together. This does not matter when the procedure is purely formal, as it is now. However where, as in future, judicial examination is to have a real function, it is necessary to ensure that each accused may give his account of events without the pressure of other accused being present and without the temptation to construct a joint, false story. It also emphasises the individual nature of judicial examination—as opposed to treating all co-accused as a group without separate individual identities and interests. I beg to move.
§ Moved, That this House doth agree with the Commons in the said amendment.—(Lord Mackay of Clashfern).
§ On Question, Motion agreed to.