§ Mr. Laurence RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the implications for sentencing in England and Wales of the incorporation of the European Convention on Human Rights. [17703]
§ Mr. MichaelThe Human Rights Bill is designed to give people direct access in the United Kingdom to the rights and freedoms guaranteed under the European Convention on Human Rights. After incorporation, people who are subject to a sentencing decision will be able to argue in our domestic courts that the decision is not compatible with the Convention, whereas at present, they are able to argue the point only before the European Court of Human Rights.