§ Mr. David PorterTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his policy to introduce a system similar to the three-strikes-and-out rule in criminal justice in the United States of America; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MacleanIt has always been our policy that, except in the special case of murder, it should be for the courts to decide the appropriate sentence in individual cases within the maximum sentence set by Parliament.
464WWe will of course, however, watch developments in penal policy in the United States with interest, and take careful note of any lessons that emerge.