§ Mr. LidingtonTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what guidance the Department gives to magistrates about sentences for fly-tipping and other breaches of waste legislation; if she plans to review that guidance; and if she will make a statement. [89619]
§ Yvette CooperNo specific guidance is provided by the Lord Chancellor's Department to magistrates on sentences for fly-tipping and other breaches of waste legislation, but an Information Toolkit for Magistrates on Environmental Crime was produced jointly by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Magistrates' Association in November 2002.
The Magistrates Court Sentencing Guidelines, produced by the Magistrates' Association, provide a sentencing structure for magistrates including an indication of levels of seriousness and aggravating and mitigating features for offences that are most commonly presented before magistrates. For offences that appear in the magistrates courts less frequently magistrates will seek the advice of their legal adviser, who has access to up to date information on the relevant case law.