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<p>The decision to remand an individual in custody or to grant bail is solely a matter
for the courts acting in accordance with the law on a case by case basis.</p><p>Bail
can only be refused where there are substantial grounds for believing that the individual
would abscond, commit further offences, interfere with witnesses or otherwise obstruct
the course of justice. Where the court grants bail, it does so with the proviso that
the individual attends court, does not commit another offence while on bail and does
not interfere with witnesses or otherwise obstruct the course of justice. The court
may also decide to impose certain conditions to help ensure that the individual complies
with these requirements and to help mitigate any other identified bail risks. Such
conditions may include, but are not limited to, the surrender of passports to prevent
the individual from travelling abroad.</p><p>The court can also impose a Sexual Risk
Order where an individual has committed an act of a sexual nature which suggests that
they pose a risk of harm to the public in the UK or children or vulnerable adults
abroad.</p><p>The Government is working to ensure the courts have all the information
they need to make an informed decision about the risk posed by an individual.</p><p>Information
relating to bail conditions that are imposed by the courts is not centrally recorded
in the Court Proceeding Database held by the Ministry of Justice and to obtain it
would involve a manual interrogation of court records which would result in a disproportionate
cost to the department.</p><p>On 17 January, the Justice Select Committee published
its report entitled "The Role of Adult Custodial Remand in the Criminal Justice
System". The report makes recommendations which relate to bail conditions and
to the availability of data. The Government will publish its response to the report
on 17 March.</p>
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