§ Mr. Croninasked the Attorney-General if he will consult the judiciary and other appropriate authorities with a view to considering increasing the sentences passed in cases of serious crime.
§ The Solicitor-GeneralSubject to maximum penalties laid down by Parliament, the appropriate sentence in a particular case is entirely within the discretion of the court. It is not open to my noble Friend the Lord Chancellor, or any other Minister, to seek to influence the way in which that discretion is exercised.