Crown Court Rule Committee
Annual Report April 2004 - March 2005
Terms of Reference
The Crown Court Rule Committee is an advisory Non-Departmental Public Body. It was created by virtue of section 86 of the Supreme Court Act 1981 which confers the power to make Crown Court Rules for the purpose of regulating and prescribing the practice and procedure to be followed by the Crown Court. The function of the Crown Court Rule Committee is to examine any proposed amendments to those Rules.
Rules considered during April 2004 / March 2005
- Crown Court (Amendment) Rules 2004 (SI 2004/1047). These Rules amend the Crown Court Rules 1982 to provide for the practice and procedure to be followed in the Crown Court in England and Wales in connection with proceedings under Part 1 of the Crime (International Co-operation) Act 2003.
- Crown Court (Amendment No 2) Rules 2004 (SI 2004/1292). These Rules amend rule 27 so as to allow an application to vary the place of trial to be heard by a judge in chambers.
- Crown Court (Reports Relating to Adult Witnesses) Rules 2004 (SI 2004/2420). These Rules contain provisions relating to applications for reporting directions in respect of adult witnesses under section 46 of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999.
- Crown Court (Amendment No 3) Rules 2004 (SI 2004/2991). These Rules insert a new rule into the Crown Court Rules 1982 to provide for the practice and procedure to be followed in the Crown Court in England and Wales in connection with the admission of bad character evidence under Part II Chapter 1 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003.
- The Criminal Appeal (Amendment) Rules 2004 ( SI 2004/1293). These Rules substitute rules 11 and 12 of the Criminal Appeal Rules 1968 so as to take account of new sections 31B (procedural directions) and 31C (appeals against procedural directions) of the Criminal Appeal Act 1968, inserted by section 87(3) of the Courts Act 2003.
Further Information
- The Committee does not hold a budget. Appointments to it do not attract remuneration and are undertaken on a voluntary basis. The Committee does not meet in person and is consulted by post. Administrative overheads are therefore limited to routine mail and telephone charges which are absorbed into departmental running costs.
- All executive non-departmental public bodies have in place codes of conduct for their members, incuding publicly available registers of interest.
Membership
The Committee is usually made up of three ex officio members, two judges of the Supreme Court, two circuit judges, a justice of the peace, two practising barristers and two practising solicitors. Members can serve a maximum of two, three-year terms.
Ex Offico Members
The Lord Chancellor
The Lord Chief Justice
The Registrar of Criminal Appeals
Supreme Court Judge
Lord Justice Potter, Royal Courts of Justice (appointment expires 27th February 2007)
Lord Justice Auld (appointment expires 31 December 2005)
Circuit Judge
His Honour Judge Duncan Matheson QC (appointment expires 20th January 2006)
Her Honour Judge Carol Hagen (appointment expires 26th July 2005)
Justice of the Peace
Mrs Elizabeth Barnett (appointment expires 27th February 2007)
Barrister
Mr Peter Carter (appointment expires 27th February 2007)
Mr Jeffrey Pegden (appointment expires 26th July 2005)
Solicitors
Mr Ewen Smith (appointment expires 20 January 2006)
Mr Graham White (appointment expires 27th February 2007)