Coroners and Justice Bill 2008-09
Government Bill introduced by Jack Straw, Ministry of Justice and Lord Bach, Ministry of JusticeProgress of Bill including links to debates
Key to abbreviations| Session | Commons | Lords | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1R | 2R | Comm | Rep | 3R | 1R | 2R | Comm | Rep | 3R | PP | RA | |
| 2008-09 | 14.01.09 | 26.01.09 | 03.02.09 to 10.03.09 | 23.03.09 24.03.09 | 24.03.09 | 25.03.09 | 18.05.09 | 09.06.09 10.06.09 | ||||
Latest news
During second reading of the Bill on 18 May, a wide-ranging discussion took place on issues including the use of juries in inquests and penal reform.Committee stage - line by line examination of the Bill - begins on 9 June.
Summary of the Bill
The introduction of this Bill follows a number of separate reviews of the law on coroners and justice.
Key areas
- Reforms the law relating to death certification and coroners, requiring some inquests to be heard without a jury
- Amends the defences of diminished responsibility and provocation in homicide cases
- Simplifies language in the offence of assisting or encouraging suicide
- Removes an exemption for ‘discussion or criticism’ in the new offence of inciting hatred on grounds of sexual orientation
- Extends the law proscribing possession of child pornography to include non‑photographic images
- Increases flexibility in the help given to vulnerable witnesses giving evidence
- Changes rules on live links for defendants
- Reforms the system of granting bail in murder cases
- Makes changes to legal aid
- Introduces measures to prevent offenders profiting from accounts of their crimes.
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