§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to monitor sentencing of individuals according to(a) perceived community origin, (b) ethnic origin, (c) gender, (d) sexual orientation and (e) disability. [1073]
§ Mr. BrowneSome information is already available on sentencing trends according to gender. The Government are committed to developing a strategy for equity monitoring the criminal justice system in Northern Ireland as it affects different categories of people, while ensuring that such monitoring does not compromise judicial independence.