21 JANUARY 1966, Page 7

Commitment

I congratulate the Tory Study Group under the chairmanship of Peter Thorneycroft, which has now published its report under the title Crime Has No Boundaries, for going farther than the Government on the subject of committal proceed- ings. The Tucker Committee's recommendation, which the Government has accepted, that press reports of committal proceedings should be severely limited, is clearly a step in the right direction. But the real truth of the matter is that there is no need for public committal proceedings at all, and their effect can only be to inflame pre- judice and reduce the chances of a fair trial. Vide the recent Moors case.