It will look at both civil and criminal contempt and will consider codification and simplification of the law, courts’ and tribunals’ powers relating to contempt and appropriate penalties.
The Commission will also consult this year on its provisional proposals for reform of criminal appeals. It is considering consolidating the current legislation on appeals from the magistrates’ courts and powers of the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) and Attorney General, and laws governing retention and access to evidence and records of proceedings.
This year, it will publish its final recommendations on reforms relating to evidence in sexual offences prosecutions, following two years of work examining the trial process, including jury directions and the admissibility of the complainant’s personal medical and counselling records.
The Commission will look into potential reform of the law relating to burial and grave re-use, cremation, a person’s right to make legally binding decisions about their body after their death, and new funerary methods such as alkaline hydrolysis. It is currently working with the Ministry of Justice on terms of reference and timescale.
It will publish consultation papers early this year on the potential codification of compulsory purchase and on aviation autonomy. The latter will focus on drones, advanced air mobility such as ‘electrical vertical take-off and landing vehicles providing short journeys for up to ten people’, and air traffic management and navigation services.
The Commission’s annual report, published in December, covers work done in the 18 months from April 2022 to September 2023 as well as its intentions for 2023-2024.
Sir Nicholas Green, the Commission’s Chair, said it had been ‘exceptionally busy. At any one time we are engaged in over 20 law reform projects’.
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