AQW 9512/17-22

Ms Joanne Bunting
Democratic Unionist Party
East Belfast

Tabled Date: 02/11/2020
Answered On Date: 10/11/2020
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Justice whether her Department will consult on legislation to contain a requirement for jury directions to be given in modern slavery and human trafficking offence cases to enable juries to approach court evidence in a more informed manner, as recommended by CJINI in their recent report; and to detail the timeline for this consultation.

Answer:

My Department is looking at a number of recommendations relating to jurors’ responsibilities emanating from the CJINI report on modern slavery and human trafficking and the Gillen Review, which includes a similar recommendation about giving directions to rape trial jurors (an issue which was also previously noted by CJINI).

I intend to roll these together into a policy review in 2021, which will include a public consultation on a range of juror issues later in the year.

Any proposals for legislation which emerge will be considered for inclusion in the legislative programme for the next mandate.