§ Mr. ClappisonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his statement of 30 July,Official Report, column 257, if the explanation of what a sentence means in practice will be communicated to the victims of the crime concerned who are not present in court at the time sentence is passed. [12726]
§ Mr. MichaelThe victims charter already provides for victims to be told, if they want to be, the final result of their offender's trial. Pilot projects to test how best this might be achieved have been running for several months and a full evaluation should be available by next spring. Before then, we will consider whether it might be practicable to include additional information about what the sentence means in practice.
§ Mr. ClappisonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his statement of 30 July,Official Report, column 257, if he will state what new bail conditions he proposes to introduce. [12713]
§ Mr. MichaelWe propose to introduce two new bail conditions to deter bailed defendants from failing to appear in court or from failing to take the necessary steps to enable the case to proceed. The first measure will allow for the greater use of securities, to provide a stronger incentive for defendants to surrender to the custody of the court. The second measure will allow the courts to impose a condition of bail requiring a defendant to attend an750W interview with a legal representative in advance of a court hearing. Failure to obtain legal advice is one of the most common reasons for delay, resulting in ineffective first hearings and routine adjournments.
§ Mr. ClappisonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1), pursuant to his statement of 30 July,Official Report, column 257, what plans he has to assess the level of public confidence in his proposals for the courts to explain sentence lengths; [12602]
(2) if (a) courts will be required to explain sentences and (b) the period of a sentence served in custody will relate more closely to the lengths of sentence passed under his proposals for honesty in sentencing. [12718]
§ Mr. MichaelOur proposal that the courts should spell out what each sentence really means in practice was a manifesto commitment which was endorsed by the electorate. The proposal is to enable the public to know how long an offender will spend in prison, the period of supervision after release, and the period during which he may be recalled to prison.
§ Mr. ClappisonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the offences covered by sentencing guidelines from the Court of Appeal. [12728]
§ Mr. MichaelIt is difficult to draw up a definitive list of offences for which sentencing guidelines are currently available, since the form and content of sentencing guidelines differ and the Court of Appeal also provides guidance on the treatment of offences through its more general cases. However, guidelines providing general guidance to the courts on the treatment of particular criminal offences, and in some cases suggesting starting points for sentences, have been provided by the Court of Appeal for a number of categories of offences, including: most sexual offences, including rape, unlawful sexual intercourse, incest, indecent assault and buggery; drugs offences involving class A and class B drugs; robbery, theft and benefit fraud; public order offences, including riot, violent disorder and affray; and explosives offences.
§ Mr. ClappisonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his statement of 30 July,Official Report, column 257, (1) if the sentencing guidelines to be prepared by the Court of Appeal will operate in the lower courts in the same way as the sentencing guidelines which have already been laid down; [12703]
(2) how the sentencing guidelines to be prepared by the Court of Appeal will affect the Magistrates' Association guidelines on sentencing; [12714]
(3) if he will list those offences which will be covered by sentencing guidelines from the Court of Appeal. [12601]
§ Mr. MichaelThe Government are committed through their manifesto to placing a duty on the Court of Appeal to ensure there are sentencing guidelines for all the main offences. We are currently considering how best to take forward this commitment.
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§ Mr. ClappisonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to extend the Attorney-General's power to refer sentences to the Court of Appeal for review. [12729]
§ Mr. MichaelWe are in discussion with colleagues about the best way to implement our manifesto commitment to extend the Attorney-General's powers to refer cases to the Court of Appeal for review where it appears to him that the sentence is unduly lenient.
§ Mr. ClappisonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals, apart from those of the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997, he has to ensure stricter punishment for serious repeat offenders. [12712]
§ Mr. MichaelMr right hon. Friend's proposals were set out in his statement of 30 July to the House.