Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Sharpe of Epsom on 8 December (HL Deb col 1976) that draft guidance issued under Clause 65 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill is "open to anyone who wishes to comment", whether there is a formal consultation on the draft guidance; to whom comments should be made; and what is the deadline for such comments.
Answer
The draft statutory guidance was published on gov.uk on 20 October to inform parliamentary debate of the new measures before votes on them were taken. The Government also carried out two full public consultations on the measures in 2018 and 2019. All responses to these consultations were taken into account when the measures were designed, and the guidance drafted. Clause 65 of the Bill does not require further formal consultation on the statutory guidance.