§ Dame Angela RumboldTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what new arrangements have been put in place to ensure that section 8 of the Criminal Appeals Act 1968 is complied with so that retrials are listed within two months.
Mr. John M. TaylorNo new arrangements have been made by the Lord Chancellor's Department because I am satisfied with the existing procedures by which the Registrar of Criminal Appeals himself immediately notifies the chief clerk of the Crown court centre concerned of retrials ordered by the Court of Appeal and of the necessity to arraign the defendant within two months. Existing departmental instructions are that defendants in796W such cases must be arraigned within two months. Listing guidelines to be issued in the new year, which will cover a wide range of subjects, will re-emphasise the necessity of dealing with such cases expeditiously.