§ Mrs. Curtis-Thomas:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in (1) what circumstances it will be necessary to impose conditions before charge to ensure that a person accused of a crime (a) surrenders to custody, (b) does not commit an offence while on bail and (c) does not interfere with witnesses or otherwise obstruct the course of justice, whether in relation to himself or herself or another person; [127674]
(2) what guidance he intends to issue on the situations in which it is necessary to impose conditions before charge to secure that a person accused of a crime (a) surrenders to custody, (b) does not commit an offence while on bail and (c) does not interfere with witnesses or otherwise obstruct the course of justice whether in relation to himself or another person, under the proposals in the Criminal Justice Bill. [128630]
§ Paul Goggins:When a custody officer releases a suspect under the new section 37(7)(a) of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 for the purpose of enabling the Crown Prosecution Service to make a decision as to charge, it will be for to him or her to determine in the usual way whether to impose bail conditions in accordance with section 3 of the Bail Act 1976. No special guidance will be required as to the circumstances in which conditions would be appropriate.
§ Mrs. Curtis-Thomas:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how long a suspect can be detained before charge for (a) non-serious arrestable offences and (b) serious arrestable offences. [128651]
§ Paul Goggins:Section 41 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 provides that an arrested person shall not be kept in detention for more than 24 hours before charge. Section 42 provides that if the person is under arrest for a serious arrestable offence, he may be detained up to a maximum of 36 hours on the 46W authorisation of a superintendent or above. Section 43 provides that further detention up to a maximum period of 96 hours must be authorised on application to a magistrate.