Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department will take to monitor the implementation of the National Police Chief’s Council's operational guidance for pre-charge bail.

Pre-charge bail is a vital policing tool for investigating crime and protecting victims and witnesses. The NPCC have issued new operational guidance to help police forces take these important decisions and use pre-charge bail whenever it is necessary and proportionate.

The implementation of this guidance, and broader national issues around the use of bail, will continue to be monitored through the Home Office chaired Pre-Charge Bail Implementation Board, which brings together partners from across the criminal justice system.

The Home Office remains fully supportive of the use of pre-charge bail when neces-sary and proportionate.