§ Lord Houghton of Sowerbyasked Her Majesty's Government:
What Acts of Parliament contain provisions for mandatory punishment to be imposed on conviction of an offence.
Earl FerrersLife imprisonment is the mandatory sentence for murder under the Murder (Abolition of Death Penalty) Act 1965. The death sentence is mandatory for offences of treason under the Treason Acts of 1790, 1814 and 1817 and for piracy with violence under the Piracy Act 1837. Various offences under the Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988 attract obligatory disqualification from driving or endorsement of the driving licence with penalty points, although the court can override the obligation if it considers that special reasons for so doing exist.
Minimum penalties remain on the statute book for certain offences, primarily in older and unrevised 40WA legislation. Details of these offences are not available in the form requested and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.