Legal Aid Act 1988 (c. 34)
67(1)In subsection (4) of section 20 of the Legal Aid Act 1988 (competent authorities to grant representation under Part V), after paragraph (a) there shall be inserted the following paragraph—
“(aa)which sends a person for trial under section 51 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 (no committal proceedings for indictable-only offences),”.
(2)After subsection (5) of that section there shall be inserted the following subsection—
“(5A)A magistrates' court which has a duty or a power to send a person for trial under section 51 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 is also competent, before discharging that duty or (as the case may be) deciding whether to exercise that power, as respects any proceedings before the Crown Court on the person’s trial.”
(3)In subsection (3)(a) of section 21 of that Act (availability of representation under Part V), after the word “committed” there shall be inserted the words “or sent”.
(4)In subsection (4) of that section, after the word “commits” there shall be inserted the words “or sends”.