46Date of first court appearance in bail cases
(1)In subsection (3) of section 47 of the 1984 Act (bail after arrest), for the words “subsection (4)” there shall be substituted the words “subsections (3A) and (4)”.
(2)After that subsection there shall be inserted the following subsection—
“(3A)Where a custody officer grants bail to a person subject to a duty to appear before a magistrates' court, he shall appoint for the appearance—
(a)a date which is not later than the first sitting of the court after the person is charged with the offence; or
(b)where he is informed by the clerk to the justices for the relevant petty sessions area that the appearance cannot be accommodated until a later date, that later date.”