Payments to Witnesses and Pre-trial Publicity (Hansard, 6 March 2002)

§ The Lord Chancellor (Lord Irvine of Lairg)

I have today issued a consultation paper seeking views on the detail of the legislation the Government intend to introduce to outlaw payments to witnesses. The legislation proposed is that it should be a criminal offence to make, or agree to make, or to receive, a payment to a witness or potential witness in criminal proceedings for his or her story with a view to publication.

Also, following the abandonment of the first trial of R v Woodgate and others, the Government intend to amend Section 19 of the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985 to empower the court to order a third party to pay costs incurred as a result of his or her unnecessary or improper act. Copies have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.