# Act of Adjournal (Criminal Procedure Rules) 1996, Rule 31.5: Preparation of case for reference

Extent: S

(1) Where the court decides that a preliminary ruling should be sought, the court shall—
(a) give its reasons and cause those reasons to be recorded in the record or minute of proceedings, as the case may be; and
(b) continue the proceedings from time to time as necessary for the purposes of the reference.
(2) The reference—
(a) except in so far as the court may otherwise direct, shall be drafted in Form 31.5 and the court may give directions to the parties as to the manner in which and by whom the case is to be drafted and adjusted;
(b) shall thereafter if necessary, be further adjusted to take account of any adjustments required by the court; and
(c) after approval and the making of an appropriate order by the court, shall (after the expiry of the period for appeal) be transmitted by the clerk of court to the Registrar of the European Court with a certified copy of the record or minute of proceedings, as the case may be, and, where applicable, a certified copy of the relevant indictment or complaint.
(3) In preparing a reference, the parties shall have regard to guidance issued by the European Court.

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1996/513/schedule/2/rule/31.5 (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/act-of-adjournal-criminal-procedure-rules-1996/schedule-2/rule-31.5
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.