§ Lord Peyton of Yeovilasked Her Majesty's Government:
When they expect to lay before Parliament the code of practice prepared under Part II of the Criminal Procedure and Investigations Act 1996, and when it will come into effect.
§ Baroness BlatchIn view of the interest in the code of practice among criminal justice practitioners, my right honourable friend is laying it before Parliament today. This is to assist them in preparing for the implementation of Parts I and II of the Act next year.
Before the code can take effect, Parliament must approve an order bringing it into operation. My right honourable friend will lay an order seeking approval before Parliament as soon as possible next year. He is not yet able to do so because the disclosure scheme in Part I, which the code supports, depends on a number of sets of rules of court. These are currently the subject of consultation with criminal justice practitioners, and it is too early to say exactly when they will be ready to be implemented.