§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will give the reasons why he will not introduce legislation making it mandatory in courts to impose a life sentence on any person caught with a firearm when breaking the criminal laws.
§ Mr. Merlyn Rees:I do not consider that the public interest would be served by fettering the discretion of the courts by stipulating mandatory penalties, apart from the special exceptions relating to murder and certain driving offences. Circumstances of particular offences and offenders vary widely, and the courts must have scope to fix a sentence which is appropriate taking into account the nature of the offence and the situation of the offender.