---

Fraud (Trials without a Jury) Bill

The hon. Gentleman is not normally accused of hyperbole, but on this occasion such an accusation can fairly be made. The jury system is not in a position where it is likely to collapse. We have nearly 30,000 jury trials in this country. We estimate that the Bill will affect some half a dozen of them. The idea that the jury system is about to collapse as a result of the Bill is ridiculous. We are dealing with a particular area in which there is a unique and long history of reports of a serious nature that have affected reforms across the criminal justice system. There has been a clear indication that the issue needs to be addressed. Some have felt that we can deal with it by means of procedure, but we have tried that repeatedly and we have found that it does not adequately address the problem. The length of some of the trials has been quite great and the way in which evidence has been dealt with in those trials has raised quite serious questions.