§ Mr. Nicholas Bakerasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce legislation to prevent thegranting of bail for those accused of serious drug offences.
§ Mr. MellorThe Bail Act 1976 establishes a general presumption in favour of bail. The nature and seriousness of the offence are among the matters to which a court must have regard when considering whether any of the exceptions specified in the Act to that general presumption applies. We have no plans to introduce legislation to prohibit absolutely the grant of bail to a person charged with any particular category of offence.