Section 3 of the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985 sets out the functions of the Director of Public Prosecutions. These include taking over the conduct of all criminal proceedings instituted on behalf of a police force, unless the proceedings are specified in an Order made by the Attorney General under section 3(3). The Prosecution of Offences Act 1985 (Specified Proceedings) Order 1999 (“the 1999 Order”) specifies proceedings for certain offences, but provides that proceedings cease to be specified if at any time a magistrates’ court begins to receive evidence in the proceedings. Material read out to the court, in circumstances where the accused does not appear but has indicated by post that he wishes to plead guilty, does not count as evidence for these purposes.

This Order amends the 1999 Order with the effect that proceedings do not cease to be specified where a magistrates’ court begins to receive evidence, provided that the court does so in defined circumstances. The first of these is where the accused has not appeared, and the court proceeds in his absence. The second is where evidence is read out in the case of an accused who has indicated a guilty plea by post – this maintains the position under the existing Order. The third is where evidence is received for the purposes of the court’s consideration of whether an accused who has been convicted of repeated motoring offences should be spared obligatory disqualification under the “totting up” provisions. In general such evidence concerns the exceptional hardship that disqualification would cause to the accused.

A full regulatory impact assessment has not been produced for this Order as no impact on the private or voluntary sectors is foreseen.