Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what guidance his Department provides to people selected for jury service to ensure that they understand their duties as jurors.

There is a range of guidance material available to jurors.

Upon confirming their jury service, jurors are sent an information pack, which, alongside practical information, includes a booklet called, ‘Your Guide to Jury Service’ which sets out what happens during jury service and what is expected of a juror. This booklet is also available online.

All jurors are shown a short film entitled, ‘Your Role as a Juror’ on their first day of jury service which explains what they should expect and what their role is. This is also available online.

Once summoned, a juror can contact the Jury Central Summoning Bureau if they are unsure of any aspect of their jury service, or once at court can speak to court staff. Further information and guidance for jurors can also be found on the gov.uk website.

The Lord Chief Justice has recently introduced a new notice to be handed to jurors when they are sworn in which details their legal responsibilities and the possible penalties of failing to adhere to them. The new notice is being rolled out on a staged basis across all Crown Court centres with a view to completion in 2018-19.