Subject to the provisions of section 8(1)(c), 74 and 75(2) as respects courts comprising justices of the peace, all proceedings in the Crown Court shall be heard and disposed of before a single judge of that court.

F1Rules of court may authorise or require a judge of the High Court, Circuit judge F37 , Recorder or qualifying judge advocate , in such circumstances as are specified by the rules, at any stage to continue with any proceedings with a court from which any one or more of the justices initially constituting the court has withdrawn, or is absent for any reason.

F3Rules of court may authorise or require a judge of the High Court, Circuit judge F39 , Recorder or qualifying judge advocate, in such circumstances as are specified by the rules, to enter on, or at any stage to continue with, any proceedings with a court not comprising the justices required by subsections (1) and (2).

The Lord Chancellor may from time to time, having regard to the number of justices, or the number of justices with any prescribed qualifications, available for service in the Crown Court, give directions providing that, in such descriptions of proceedings as may be specified by the Lord Chancellor, the provisions of subsections (1) and (2) shall not apply.

Directions under subsection (4) may frame descriptions of proceedings by reference to the place of trial, or by reference to the time of trial, or in any other way.

Before exercising any functions under subsection (4), the Lord Chancellor must consult the Lord Chief Justice.

No decision of the Crown Court shall be questioned on the ground that the court was not constituted as required by or under subsections (1) and (2) unless objection was taken by or on behalf of a party to the proceedings not later than the time when the proceedings were entered on, or when the alleged irregularity began.

The Lord Chief Justice may nominate a judicial office holder (as defined in section 109(4) of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005) to exercise his functions under this section.

The cases or classes of cases in the Crown Court suitable for allocation respectively to a judge of the High Court F41, Circuit judge, Recorder, qualifying judge advocate or District Judge (Magistrates' Courts) , and all other matters relating to the distribution of Crown Court business, shall be determined in accordance with directions given by or on behalf of the Lord Chief Justice with the concurrence of the Lord Chancellor.

Subject to section 74(1), the cases or classes of cases in the Crown Court suitable for allocation to a court comprising justices of the peace (including those by way of trial on indictment which are suitable for allocation to such a court) shall be determined in accordance with directions given by or on behalf of the Lord Chief Justice with the concurrence of the Lord Chancellor.

Without prejudice to the provisions of this Act about the distribution of Crown Court business, the Crown Court may give directions, or further directions, altering the place of any trial on indictment, whether by F52varying the decision of a magistrates’ court under section 7 of the Magistrates’ Courts Act 1980 or F49by substituting some other place for the place specified in a notice under F50a relevant transfer provision (notices of transfer from magistrates’ court to Crown Court)F52substituting some other place for the place specified in a notice under section 51D(1) of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 (a “section 51D notice”) or by varying a previous decision of the Crown Court.

Directions under subsection (1) may be given on behalf of the Crown Court by an officer of the court.

Where a preparatory hearing has been ordered under section 7 of the Criminal Justice Act 1987, directions altering the place of trial may be given under subsection (1) at any time before F9the time when the jury are sworn.

The reference in subsection (2A) to the time when the jury are sworn includes the time when the jury would be sworn but for the making of an order under Part 7 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003.

The defendant or the prosecutor, if dissatisfied with the place of trial as F53fixed by the magistrates' court, as specified in a notice under a relevant transfer provisionF53specified in a section 51D notice or as fixed by the Crown Court, may apply to the Crown Court for a direction, or further direction, varying the place of trial; and the court shall take the matter into consideration and may comply with or refuse the application, or give a direction not in compliance with the application, as the court thinks fit.

F11. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

F13Criminal Procedure Rules shall prescribe the minimum and the maximum period which may elapse between a person’s F14being sent for trial and the beginning of the trial; and such rules may make different provision for different places of trial and for other different circumstances.

For the purposes of this section the prescribed minimum and maximum periods shall begin with the date F16when the defendant is sent for trial and the trial shall be taken to begin when the defendant is arraigned.

Any Crown Court business may be conducted at any place in England or Wales, and the sittings of the Crown Court at any place may be continuous or intermittent or occasional.

Judges of the Crown Court may sit simultaneously to take any number of different cases in the same or different places, and may adjourn cases from place to place at any time.

The places at which the Crown Court sits, and the days and times at which the Crown Court sits at any place, shall be determined in accordance with directions given by the Lord Chancellor F18after consulting the Lord Chief Justice.

The Lord Chief Justice may nominate a judicial office holder (as defined in section 109(4) of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005) to exercise his functions under this section.

All enactments and rules of law relating to procedure in connection with indictable offences shall continue to have effect in relation to proceedings in the Crown Court.

The customary practice and procedure with respect to appeals to the Crown Court, and in particular any practice as to the extent to which an appeal is by way of rehearing of the case, shall continue to be observed.

Any direction to appear and any condition of a recognizance to appear before the Crown Court, and any summons or order to appear before that court, may be so framed as to require appearance at such time and place as may be directed by the Crown Court, and if a time or place is specified in the direction, condition, summons or order, it may be varied by any subsequent direction of the Crown Court.

Where an indictment has been signed although the person charged has not been F20sent for trial, the Crown Court may issue a summons requiring that person to appear before the Crown Court, or may issue a warrant for his arrest.

Section 4 of the M1Summary Jurisdiction (Process) Act 1881 (execution of process of English courts in Scotland) shall apply to process issued under this section as it applies to process issued under the M2Magistrates’ Courts Act 1980 by a magistrates’ court.

The power conferred by subsection (1)(f) does not extend to a case to which section 12 or 15 of the Criminal Appeal Act 1968 (appeal against verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity or against F28findings that the accused is under a disability and that he did the act or made the omission charged against him) applies.

A certificate under this subsection is a certificate that a case is fit for appeal on a ground which involves a question of law alone.

The power may only be exercised within twenty-eight days from the date of the conviction appealed against, or in the case of appeal against sentence, from the date on which sentence was passed or, in the case of an order made or treated as made on conviction, from the date of the making of the order.

The power may not be exercised if the appellant has made an application to the Court of Appeal for bail in respect of the offence or offences to which the appeal relates.

Where the Crown Court grants a person bail under subsection (1)(g) it may direct him to appear at a time and place which the magistrates’ court could have directed and the recognizance of any surety shall be conditioned accordingly.

The Crown Court may only grant bail to a person under subsection (1)(g) if the magistrates’ court which remanded him in custody has certified under section 5(6A) of the Bail Act 1976 that it heard full argument on his application for bail before it refused the application.

Any reference in any enactment to a recognizance shall include, unless the context otherwise requires, a reference to any other description of security given instead of a recognizance, whether in pursuance of subsection (2)(a) or otherwise.

A magistrates’ court shall have jurisdiction, and a justice of the peace may act, under or in pursuance of rules under subsection (2) whether or not the offence was committed, or the arrest was made, within the court’s area, or the area for which he was appointed.

The officers of the Crown Court shall be responsible for the keeping of the records of the proceedings of the court, F51the signing of indictments, the notification to the parties or their legal advisers of the place and time appointed for any proceedings, and such other formal or administrative matters as may be specified by directions given by the Lord Chancellor F32after consulting the Lord Chief Justice.

Officers of the Crown Court shall in particular give effect to any orders or directions of the court for taking into custody, and detaining, any person committing contempt of court, and shall execute any order or warrant duly issued by the court for the committal of any person to prison for contempt of court.

The Lord Chief Justice may nominate a judicial office holder (as defined in section 109(4) of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005) to exercise his functions under this section.