§ Mr. Bill MichieTo ask the Secretary of State for tht, Home Department, in relation to the Magistrates' Courts Act 1980 and offences committed under the Health and34W Safety at Work etc. Act and any of the relevant statutory provisions within the meaning of section 53 of the said Act, if he has any plans to amend the Magistrates' Courts Act to empower magistrates to refer corporations to a higher court for sentencing.
§ Mr. John PattenParagraph 3.15 of the White Pa per "Crime, Justice and Protecting the Public" (Cm. 965) states that the Government intend to amend section 38 of the Magistrates' Courts Act 1980, in line with the proposed new statutory framework for sentencing, so that the court's decision is based on the seriousness of the offence. That would replace the present provision whereby the decision of the court depends on information about the offender's character and antecedents, and which does not apply to corporations.