Schedule 1 to the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 allows a judge to make a “production order”. This means that a person must give an investigator access to material that is needed in the investigation of a serious criminal offence but which that person could not otherwise lawfully hand over.
Clause 47 of the current Deregulation Bill makes 2 changes to this. However, in response to concerns held by press and media representatives, the government is considering changing the way in which Schedule 1 would be amended.