My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Maria Eagle) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.

I am today announcing that, as part of the review of the law on homicide, on Monday 28 July we will be publishing a consultation paper setting out proposals for reforms on:

partial defences to murder of diminished responsibility and provocation;

the law on complicity in relation to homicide; and

infanticide.

In December 2006, the Law Commission published its report Murder, Manslaughter and Infanticide, with wide-ranging recommendations for changes to the law. On 12 December 2007, I announced the second stage of the review of the law on homicide and emphasised the importance of conducting an open and transparent consultation on this important aspect of law.

Following discussions with key stakeholders both within and outside the criminal justice system, we have now developed concrete proposals, including draft clauses, and we wish to put these forward for public consultation prior to introducing legislation.

Copies of the consultation document will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses on the date of publication. The consultation period will last 12 weeks, closing on 20 October.