Source · Select Committees · Justice Committee
Recommendation 23
23
Deferred
Paragraph: 132
Publish outcomes of Bail Information Service pilot and expand provision to all magistrates' courts.
Recommendation
There should be more consistent provision of Bail Information Services in courts to give decision-makers greater confidence in the bail package being presented to them. We recommend that the outcomes of the current pilot relating to these services are published, and that the service should then be scaled up so that it is available in all magistrates’ courts if it is proven to help in putting together effective bail packages.
Government response summary AI-generated
The government accepted the recommendation but responded by detailing the provision of Community Accommodation Service Tier 2 (CAS-2) beds, particularly for women, and the use of Approved Premises and electronic monitoring, without addressing the requested publication of Bail Information Service pilot outcomes or its planned scaling.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Paragraph Reference:
132
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government · verbatim extract
Deferred
We partially accept this recommendation. The Bail Information Service (BIS) pilot is informing the development of plans to potentially implement a permanent future and proactive BIS in all courts and prisons in England and Wales. Qualitative research and an internal review by the Ministry of Justice in March 2022 of the findings of the proactive BIS pilot highlighted several benefits of the service including the provision of relevant, objective and verified information to the courts to enable them to make informed decisions relating to bail and custodial remand. The review also supported the continuation of the project which has enabled more quantitative data to be gathered, and our aim is to publish robust data in early 2024. Based on the current findings of the pilot, we are confident of the efficacy of the BIS in enabling the courts to make better informed and effective decisions relating to bail. We anticipate that a dedicated and proactive BIS could be rolled out to all courts and prisons from Summer 2023, subject to funding.
Read the full response on Parliament ↗