§ Andy KingTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will assess the compensation scheme for people remanded in custody and subsequently found not guilty which operates in New Zealand. [171109]
§ Paul GogginsI have no plans to make an assessment of the scheme operating in New Zealand for compensating those remanded in custody and subsequently found not guilty.
The current schemes for compensating those wrongfully convicted or charged in England and Wales are provided for in Section 133 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 and under the ex-gratia arrangements announced in the then Home Secretary's statement of 29 November 1985. The latter specifically provides compensation for those acquitted after having been held in custody on remand following a charge that has subsequently been found to be wrongfully brought.