Avoiding delay in criminal proceedings
Section 91: General duty to progress criminal proceedings
This section provides that in relation to criminal proceedings in the Crown Court or a magistrates’ court, it is the duty of the court, the prosecution and the defence, to reach a just outcome as swiftly as possible.
Section 92: Case management regulations
This section confers a power on the department to make regulations about the management and conduct of criminal cases that may impose duties on: the court; the prosecution; and the defence. The section also provides that the regulations may also confer functions on the court in relation to the “active management” of criminal cases and defines “active management” of cases in terms of the key responsibilities of a presiding judge.