HL Deb 16 March 1992 vol 536 cc91-2WA
Lord Gainford

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they have reached conclusions on the review of magistrates' courts procedures initiated in 1989.

Earl Ferrers

We have now received the report of the committee invited to review magistrates' courts procedures by my right honourable friend the Member for Witney, and have placed a copy in the Library. We are grateful to all those from the magistrates' courts service and other bodies who participated in the review. With the exceptions noted below, (and subject to deferral of questions relating to liquor licensing for further consideration) we are glad to endorse its recommendations. Some will require primary legislation, and we therefore cannot at this stage indicate when it will be possible to bring the necessary legislative proposals before Parliament. Others can be taken forward through changes to subordinate legislation or guidance to the courts. The recommendations on which we are not persuaded that action is justified are those that it should be an offence to fail to carry a driving licence when driving, that failure to produce a licence at court should attract a fixed penalty fine and that a review of the witnesses' oath should be undertaken. With these exceptions, we believe that the recommendations in the report will help to simplify and modernise court procedures in a way which maintains the requirements of justice. They should yield useful improvements in the efficiency of the criminal justice process as well as making court procedures clearer and more convenient for court users, in line with the Citizen's Charter.