Government response to the Committee's report on the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill (1 December 2021)

This is the government's response, published 9 December 2021.

Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.

The government largely maintains its position on the Bill, disagreeing with the Committee on size, noise triggers, penalties, encampments and live links, while agreeing to add the "serious disruption" definitions to the Bill.

• On "serious disruption", the government "will bring forward amendments at Report" to add the draft regulations' definitions to the Bill, with a power to amend them by regulations "subject to the affirmative procedure".
• On digital extraction, it agrees that "we can do more" to protect privacy, points to safeguards added since Committee stage, and says the code of practice "will now be laid before Parliament".
• On noise triggers and increased penalties, it does not accept removal. It considers noise conditions "necessary in a democratic society" and says "we do not agree that it is necessary to remove the increase in sentences".
• It "does not agree" with requiring defendant consent or health assessments for live links, as courts decide. It has "no immediate plans" for remote juries and would not proceed "without consultation" with the Lord Chief Justice and others.

Read the government's response ↗ Report an error