Closed 26 events
Threads / Police Pre-Charge Bail Reform / Timeline
Lifecycle stage Bill Progressing
434 days in stage

Police Pre-Charge Bail Reform

The Home Office is reviewing police pre-charge bail practices under the Bail Act 1976, as the remand population has grown significantly with increasingly risk-averse application of bail presumptions. The Ministry of Justice is investigating whether the legal framework is operating as intended and considering impacts of video link technology on remand rates, while rejecting proposals to broaden police charging powers without CPS involvement. Current focus is on independent review of bail application practices and HM Prison and Probation Service guidelines.

Log in for AI briefing
Showing all 26 signals
Sort Latest first Oldest first
Family
Signal
Year
Body
Role

2025

2 events
5 Mar 2025 | Written evidence linked

Written evidence submitted by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons stated that the length of time that people are remanded for and the extent to which this is changing is information that is not in the public domain. The Inspectorate’s evidence also explained that “the increasing average length of time an individual is spending remanded in custody means that many require additional support. This group are at greater risk of losing their accommodation, employment and custody of their children...

Written evidence submitted by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons stated that the length of time that people are remanded for and the extent to which this is changing is information that is not in the public domain. The Inspectorate’s evidence …

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
5 Mar 2025 | Written evidence linked

MoJ told us that there is a direct correlation between the number of cases in the backlog and the size of the remand population awaiting trial, and that this is adding to prison capacity pressures and making it harder to manage the prison population.41 The written evidence submitted by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons also notes that some people awaiting sentencing are spending so long on remand that upon sentencing they are released from court having already served the length of their s...

MoJ told us that there is a direct correlation between the number of cases in the backlog and the size of the remand population awaiting trial, and that this is adding to prison capacity pressures and making it harder to …

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK

2023

1 event

2022

1 event

2021

12 events
6 Sep 2021 | Consultation outcome Home Office linked

Police powers: pre-charge bail — outcome published

Consultation on proposals for reviewing pre-charge bail legislation.

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK · ↓ Police powers: pre-charge bail government cons…
+17 more
↓ Police powers: pre-charge bail government consultation (30pp) ↓ Impact assessment (accessible version) ↓ Impact assessment (13pp) ↓ Executive summary: Welsh (accessible version) ↓ Executive summary: Welsh (2pp) ↓ Privacy information notice (accessible version) ↓ Privacy information notice (4pp) ↓ Police powers: pre-charge bail government response (accessi… ↓ Police powers: pre-charge bail government response (29pp) ↓ Police powers: pre-charge bail government response (Welsh v… ↓ Police powers: pre-charge bail government response (Welsh v… (29pp) ↓ Police powers: pre-charge bail overview of the evidence (ac… ↓ Police powers: pre-charge bail overview of the evidence (73pp) ↓ Police powers: pre-charge bail overview of the evidence (W… ↓ Police powers: pre-charge bail overview of the evidence (We… (77pp) ↓ Pre-charge bail overview of the evidence, raw data files (a… ↓ Pre-charge bail overview of the evidence, raw data files
14 Jan 2021 | Announcement Home Office linked

Reforming pre-charge bail

UIN: HCWS708 In February of last year, this Government launched a consultation seeking views on reforming pre-charge bail. A number of cases had highlighted that the existing system was not working for victims, law enforcement, or suspects. It is of …

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
14 Jan 2021 | Announcement Home Office linked

Reforming pre-charge bail

UIN: HLWS704 My rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department (Priti Patel) has today made the following Written Ministerial Statement:In February of last year, this Government launched a consultation seeking views on reforming pre-charge bail. A …

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK

2020

4 events
29 May 2020 | Consultation outcome Home Office linked

Police powers: pre-charge bail — consultation closed

Consultation on proposals for reviewing pre-charge bail legislation.

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK · ↓ Police powers: pre-charge bail government cons…
+17 more
↓ Police powers: pre-charge bail government consultation (30pp) ↓ Impact assessment (accessible version) ↓ Impact assessment (13pp) ↓ Executive summary: Welsh (accessible version) ↓ Executive summary: Welsh (2pp) ↓ Privacy information notice (accessible version) ↓ Privacy information notice (4pp) ↓ Police powers: pre-charge bail government response (accessi… ↓ Police powers: pre-charge bail government response (29pp) ↓ Police powers: pre-charge bail government response (Welsh v… ↓ Police powers: pre-charge bail government response (Welsh v… (29pp) ↓ Police powers: pre-charge bail overview of the evidence (ac… ↓ Police powers: pre-charge bail overview of the evidence (73pp) ↓ Police powers: pre-charge bail overview of the evidence (W… ↓ Police powers: pre-charge bail overview of the evidence (We… (77pp) ↓ Pre-charge bail overview of the evidence, raw data files (a… ↓ Pre-charge bail overview of the evidence, raw data files
5 Feb 2020 | Consultation outcome Home Office linked

Police powers: pre-charge bail — consultation opened

Consultation on proposals for reviewing pre-charge bail legislation.

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK · ↓ Police powers: pre-charge bail government cons…
+17 more
↓ Police powers: pre-charge bail government consultation (30pp) ↓ Impact assessment (accessible version) ↓ Impact assessment (13pp) ↓ Executive summary: Welsh (accessible version) ↓ Executive summary: Welsh (2pp) ↓ Privacy information notice (accessible version) ↓ Privacy information notice (4pp) ↓ Police powers: pre-charge bail government response (accessi… ↓ Police powers: pre-charge bail government response (29pp) ↓ Police powers: pre-charge bail government response (Welsh v… ↓ Police powers: pre-charge bail government response (Welsh v… (29pp) ↓ Police powers: pre-charge bail overview of the evidence (ac… ↓ Police powers: pre-charge bail overview of the evidence (73pp) ↓ Police powers: pre-charge bail overview of the evidence (W… ↓ Police powers: pre-charge bail overview of the evidence (We… (77pp) ↓ Pre-charge bail overview of the evidence, raw data files (a… ↓ Pre-charge bail overview of the evidence, raw data files
5 Feb 2020 | Announcement Home Office linked

Police Powers: Pre-charge Bail

UIN: HCWS94 This government is committed to ensuring the police have the powers they need to protect the public, and that our criminal justice system has at its heart the welfare and best interests of victims. That’s why on the …

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
5 Feb 2020 | Announcement Home Office linked

Police Powers: Pre-charge Bail

UIN: HLWS91 My rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department (Priti Patel) has today made the following Written Ministerial Statement:This government is committed to ensuring the police have the powers they need to protect the public, …

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK

2018

1 event

2016

2 events

2015

2 events
24 Mar 2015 | Consultation outcome Home Office linked

Pre-charge bail: consultation on statutory time limits and related changes — outcome published

The government is consulting on statutory time limits on the use of pre-charge bail to reduce both the number of individuals on, and the length of, pre-charge bail.

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK · ↓ Pre-charge bail consultation document (34pp)
+4 more
↓ Pre-charge bail consultation document: Welsh version (33pp) ↓ Pre-charge bail: summary of consultation responses and prop… (39pp) ↓ Pre-charge bail: summary of consultation responses and prop… (45pp) ↓ Consultation response counts (7pp)
8 Feb 2015 | Consultation outcome Home Office linked

Pre-charge bail: consultation on statutory time limits and related changes — consultation closed

The government is consulting on statutory time limits on the use of pre-charge bail to reduce both the number of individuals on, and the length of, pre-charge bail.

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK · ↓ Pre-charge bail consultation document (34pp)
+4 more
↓ Pre-charge bail consultation document: Welsh version (33pp) ↓ Pre-charge bail: summary of consultation responses and prop… (39pp) ↓ Pre-charge bail: summary of consultation responses and prop… (45pp) ↓ Consultation response counts (7pp)

2014

1 event
17 Dec 2014 | Consultation outcome Home Office linked

Pre-charge bail: consultation on statutory time limits and related changes — consultation opened

The government is consulting on statutory time limits on the use of pre-charge bail to reduce both the number of individuals on, and the length of, pre-charge bail.

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK · ↓ Pre-charge bail consultation document (34pp)
+4 more
↓ Pre-charge bail consultation document: Welsh version (33pp) ↓ Pre-charge bail: summary of consultation responses and prop… (39pp) ↓ Pre-charge bail: summary of consultation responses and prop… (45pp) ↓ Consultation response counts (7pp)