The Juries Act 1976 is amended -

(a) by inserting the following section after section 15:

"15A. Additional jurors

(1) Subject to subsection (2), at any time before the selection of a jury in a trial of a criminal issue begins pursuant to section 15, a judge of the Circuit Court or the Central Criminal Court, as the case may be, may, on his or her own motion or on the application of the prosecution or the accused person, order that a specified number of persons not exceeding 15 in number be selected to serve as jurors and sworn in the trial concerned.

(2) A judge shall not make an order referred to in subsection (1) unless the judge is satisfied that -

(a) the duration of a trial is likely to exceed 2 months, and

(b) the selection of additional jurors for the trial is an appropriate means of ensuring that there will be a sufficient number of jurors for the jury to remain properly constituted for the purposes of giving a verdict in that trial.

(3) An application referred to in subsection (1) shall be made -

(a) not later than 10 working days before the selection of a jury in the trial of a criminal issue begins pursuant to section 15, and

(b) on notice -

(i) where the application is made by the prosecution, to each accused person in the trial, or