§ 6. Mr. BatisteTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Attorney-General's right to appeal against lenient sentences; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. HowardThe Attorney-General's power to refer lenient sentences to the Court of Appeal has proved extremely valuable. It has ensured that the most serious offences are appropriately punished. So far, 116 cases have been considered by the Court of Appeal following referral from the Attorney-General and 95 references have resulted in an increased sentence.
§ Mr. BatisteDoes my right hon. and learned Friend agree that over-lenient sentences bring the criminal justice system into disrepute and are terribly unfair to the victims of crime? Does he recall that when the Government introduced powers to overlook over-lenient sentences, the entire Opposition Front-Bench team voted against, as did all members of the present Opposition Home Office team? What representations has my right hon. and learned Friend received on the subject since then?
§ Mr. HowardMy hon. Friend is entirely right to draw attention to that fact. That is an extremely important power and it helps us to deal with a situation in which the law was brought into disrepute. The record of right hon. and hon. Opposition Members on the matter is little short of disgraceful.
§ Mr. AshtonIs the Home Secretary aware that not all Opposition Members are against the powers given to the Attorney-General? However, we wonder why he does not use them against millionaires like Levitt, who was given 180 hours of community service for swindling hundreds of thousands of pounds, Ronson, and Ernest Saunders of Guinness, who is the only person to have recovered from Alzheimer's disease, but who got out of prison early.
§ Mr. HowardI am delighted to learn that at least the hon. Gentleman will no doubt support powers in the Criminal Justice and Public Order Bill, which enable the Attorney-General to appeal against lenient sentences in serious fraud cases.