Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been on bail without charge by police forces in Wales for more than (a) 28 days and (b) three months in each of the last five years.

The Home Office does not hold the data requested. While all four Welsh police forces contributed to the police response to the consultation on pre-charge bail issued in November 2014, that response only covers April 2013 to March 2014 and is not broken down by force. Estimated annual figures for the whole of England and Wales are set out on page 25 of the Government response to the consultation, published on 23 March and available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/pre-charge-bail-consultation-on-statutory-time-limits-and-related-changes.

As part of the Government’s reforms announced on 23 March, all forces will be required to collect data on pre-charge bail to ensure transparency and public accountability. The Government will also legislate in the Police Reform and Criminal Justice Bill to adopt the model endorsed by the consultation, in which pre-charge bail is initially limited at 28 days, with extension of up to three months able to be authorised by a senior police officer in complex cases.