Religious Freedom

(asked on 28th November 2022) - View Source

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of written statements made in a case by the Crown Prosecution Service that the Bible contains references "which are simply no longer appropriate in modern society and which would be deemed offensive if stated in public".


Answered by
Lord Stewart of Dirleton Portrait
Lord Stewart of Dirleton
Advocate General for Scotland
This question was answered on 12th December 2022

The Wessex Area of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has undertaken a post-case review and acknowledges that the statement was inappropriate. The statement was not intended to and does not represent a change to published CPS Policy. It is not indicative of a general approach by the CPS to cases involving the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, and the right to freedom of expression. As a result of the post-case review, in future, where skeleton arguments are ordered, in cases where there is scope for argument to arise as to rights such as that of freedom of expression, such arguments will be submitted to the Senior District Crown Prosecutor for signing off, prior to service.

Reticulating Splines