§ Mr. Alex Carlileasked the Attorney-General if he will name the cases tried since 1 August 1980 in which jury vetting has occurred, and specify the offences charged and the results of the trials.
§ The Attorney-GeneralJury vetting has occurred in the cases detailed in the following table:
385W
§ Mr. Alex Carlileasked the Attorney-General whether, since 1 August 1980, jury vetting has been approved in any case in which national security was not involved, or in which the jury was not asked to sit in camera.
§ The Attorney-GeneralSince 1 August 1980 jury vetting has been authorised in five cases which did not or do not involve matters of national security. In each case the alleged offences were of a terrorist nature and the grant of authority accorded with paragraph 4 of the guidelines which I published on that day. In each case where authority was based upon consideration of national security part of the evidence was taken in camera. Two of the five cases have yet to come to trial.
§ Mr. Alex Carlileasked the Attorney-General how many records have been forwarded to him in accordance with paragraph 12 of his guidelines on jury checks (as amended in July 1980); and if he will make a statement as to (a) how many jurors are referred to in those records and (b) the use made by counsel of the information passed to him.
§ The Attorney-GeneralFive reports have been made by the Director of Public Prosecutions to the Attorney-General in accordance with paragraph 12 of the guidelines. A total of 10 jurors were referred to in these reports. Of these, three were challenged by the Crown and one was challenged by the defence as a result of information passed to it in consequence of the report in that case.
§ Mr. Alex Carlileasked the Attorney-General whether any person has been excluded from a jury by approved jury vetting on the grounds of his actual or suspected membership of a political party, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament or the National Council for Civil Liberties; and if he will make a statement.
§ The Attorney-GeneralI refer the hon. and learned Member to paragraph 5 of the guidelines published on 1 August 1980, which sets out the circumstances in which the holding of extreme political views may make it desirable to exclude an individual from jury service in certain exceptional cases of public importance.
Membership of a particular political party or the organisations referred to by the hon. Member does not constitute grounds for challenging a potential juror.