§ Mr. Cryerasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce legislation to provide increased penalties for insider dealing involving mandatory prison sentences for serious offences; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. John PattenClause 42 of the Criminal Justice Bill will raise the maximum penalty for insider dealing from two to seven years' imprisonment. We do not intend to make imprisonment mandatory, however, or otherwise to interfere with the courts' discretion in sentencing, which enables them to take account of all the aggravating or mitigating factors in a particular case.