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Criminal Procedure Rule Committee

The Criminal Procedure Rule Committee was established in June 2004 to make rules of procedure for all criminal courts in England and Wales, up to and including the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division).

Role and responsibilities
Membership
Contact

Role and responsibilities

The Criminal Procedure Rule Committee acts as a single forum for the review of criminal court procedures and the development of modern and simply expressed rules.
The Committee is responsible for:
- The development of Rules to govern the practice and procedure to be followed in the Criminal Division of the Court of Appeal and the Crown Court; for criminal proceedings in magistrates' courts and by justices' clerks; and
- The development of the necessary procedures to bring about the closer alignment of the criminal courts.
In addition, the Committee plays a part in the development of a code of criminal law - most particularly, in bringing about a single code of procedure for the criminal courts.

Membership

The Committee has been structured to engage the commitment of all involved with the workings of the criminal courts - the judiciary, the legal profession, the police and representatives of the wider community - in particular voluntary organisations with an interest in the work of the criminal courts, such as those representing the victims of crime, and those assisting defendants.

The judicial representation on the Committee reflects the underlying principles of establishing procedures for all the criminal courts and for any rules to be made with focus on the efficient running of a trial.

Chairman
Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers	The Lord Chief Justice
Appointed members
Sir Igor Judge	President of the Queen's Bench Division
Ms. Jane Furniss	Director of Case Management at the Office for Criminal Justice Reform, representing the Home Secretary
Lord Justice Hooper	Court of Appeal Judge
Mr. Justice Openshaw	High Court Judge
His Honour Judge Charles Wide, QC	Circuit Judge
His Honour Judge Roderick Denyer, QC	Circuit judge
Anthony Evans	District Judge (Magistrates' Courts)
Sir Kenneth Macdonald, QC	The Director of Public Prosecutions
Mrs. Brenda Large, DL	Magistrate
Andrew Mimmack	Justices' Clerk
David Fisher, QC	Barrister with a Supreme Court qualification and with particular experience of practice in criminal courts
Tom Little	Barrister with a Supreme Court qualification and with particular experience of practice in criminal courts
Graham White	Solicitor with the right to conduct litigation in relation to all proceedings in the Supreme Court and with particular experience in criminal courts
Derek French	Solicitor with the right to conduct litigation in relation to all proceedings in the Supreme Court and with particular experience in criminal courts
Chief Constable Martin Baker	Representing the Association of Chief Police Officers
James Riches	National Association for the Care and Rehabilitation of Offenders
Mark Harris	National Association of Victims' Support Schemes

Mr. Riches and Mr. Harris are representative of voluntary organisations with a direct interest in the work of criminal courts.

Contact

write to us at:

Secretariat to the Criminal Procedure Rule Committee
Department for Constitutional Affairs
Selborne House
54-60, Victoria Street
London
SW1E 6QW