§ Dame Angela RumboldTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department in how many cases in the last year section 8 of the Criminal Appeals Act 1968 has been breached in that the retrial was not listed within the two-month period; and what action he is taking to ensure that the provisions of section 8 of the Criminal Appeal Act 1968 regarding the period for listing a retrial are complied with.
Mr. John M. TaylorOn three occasions during 1992 the time limits laid down by section 8 of the Criminal Appeal Act 1968 were not met.
As the right hon. Lady is aware from my previous reply on 11 December 1992, at columns 801–2, existing instructions to court staff are that defendants in such cases must be arraigned within two months so as to comply with the statute. Guidelines for Crown court listing to be published on 1 February 1993, which have already been dispatched for issue to the Crown court, state that the appellant must be arraigned on a new indictment within two months. The Registrar of Criminal Appeals will, in addition, when retrials are ordered in the future, change the letter which he always sends to the Crown court and the legal representatives of the parties notifying them of the Court of Appeal's order, stating in clear terms the need to arraign the defendant in two months.