Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999

3 (1) A special measures direction may be given in relation to a witness in continuing proceedings unless the court has before the specified date—

(a) given leave in relation to the witness in connection with those proceedings under section 32 (evidence through television links) or section 32A (video recordings of testimony of child witnesses) of the 1988 Act, or

(b) exercised any existing special measures power in relation to the witness in connection with those proceedings.

(2) The repeals made by this Act shall not affect the continued operation in relation to a witness in continuing proceedings of section 32 or 32A of the 1988 Act where before the specified date leave was given in relation to the witness in connection with those proceedings by virtue of section 32(1)(b) or section 32A, as the case may be.

(3) Nothing in this Act affects the continued operation in relation to a witness in continuing proceedings of any order made or leave given under any existing special measures power exercised by the court before the specified date in relation to the witness in connection with those proceedings.

(4) In this paragraph—

(a) “continuing proceedings” means proceedings instituted before the specified date;

(b) “the specified date”, in relation to a witness in any proceedings, means such date as may be specified by the Secretary of State in a notice given to the court in question under section 18(2), where the date is expressed to apply—

(i) for the purposes of this paragraph, and

(ii) in relation to any description of witnesses and proceedings within which the witness and the proceedings fall.