§ 74. Mr. Nicholas BennettTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in what percentage of cases dealt with by magistrates courts, judgment or sentence is deferred from the original hearing; and what proposals he has to shorten the length of time between arrest and the conclusion of a case and to cut the number of appearances of individual defendants in respect of a single charge.
§ Mr. HurdIn 1988 it is estimated that 76 per cent. of cases were adjourned one or more times. Measures to reduce delays include the establishment of a scrutiny of the magistrates courts service and of a committee to review the procedure of the magistrates courts; the introduction on an experimental basis of power for courts to remand defendants in custody in certain circumstances for up to 28 days at a time; the development of the magistrates courts management information system; and the progressive introduction of statutory time limits which govern the period during which an accused may be held in custody awaiting committal or trial.