§ 24. Mr. William RossTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he intends to take to provide an alternative to a prison sentence for fine defaulters in Northern Ireland.
§ Sir John WheelerI have already announced my intention to introduce legislation to reinforce the requirement on courts to ascertain and take account of offenders' means when imposing fines. I believe that this will help to reduce the extent of fine default in Northern Ireland.
I am also looking at measures to reduce the use of imprisonment when fine default does occur. Various alternatives are under consideration, but I shall wish to be satisfied that they are likely to prove both practical and cost-effective.
It remains the Government's view, however, that it is necessary for imprisonment to be retained as the ultimate sanction for fine default.