§ 30. Sir J. Langford-Holtasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the provisions of the Criminal Cases Act 1973 enable magistrates, in cases where they have dealt summarily with an indictable offence and dismissed the information, to order the payment of all the innocent defendants' costs.
§ Mr. Alexander W. LyonThe Costs in Criminal Cases Act 1973 gives magistrates' courts, dealing summarily with an indictable offence and dismissing the information, power to order the payment out of central funds of such sums as appear to the court to be reasonably sufficient to compensate the accused for the expenses properly incurred by him536W in carrying on his defence. They also have power to order such costs to be paid by the prosecutor to the accused as they think just and reasonable. It is therefore possible for the court to order the payment of all the innocent defendants' costs in such cases if it considers the amount reasonable.