§ Mr. DonohoeTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on his plans for law and order in Scotland, and what is the period time for the consultation process indicated in his announcement of 12 October. [1261]
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonIn his announcement on 12 October, my right hon. Friend re-affirmed the Government's commitment to law and order in Scotland and highlighted the measures taken in the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 1995 which will bring about improvements in the detection, prosecution and conviction of offenders. He also stressed the Government's view that there should be greater honesty in sentencing and outlined his proposals for changes to the early release arrangements for prisoners in Scotland. A consultation paper inviting comments on the range of issues to be considered will be issued soon.