§ Mr. David NicholsonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has any plans to introduce legislation to set a mandatory sentence including(a) a term of imprisonment and (b) a ban from driving for life in cases where death has resulted from drunken driving; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. John PattenParliament has long taken the view that mandatory sentences would restrict the court's ability to take into account the individual circumstances of each case. The courts already have the power to imprison drink-drivers and to disqualify them for substantial periods. The penalties for road traffic offences are currently under consideration by the Road Traffic Law Review, and we shall study its recommendations carefully.