§ Mr. ClappisonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Enfield, Southgate (Mr. Twigg) of 30 July,Official Report, columns 261–62, if he will set out the timetable for his review of section 4 (Minimum Sentences for Persistent House Burglars) of the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997. [12743]
§ Mr. MichaelWe have no plans to review section 4 of the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997. As my right hon. Friend made clear in his statement on criminal justice on 30 July,Official Report, column 354, our position is the same as that announced by the previous Government in their White Paper, presented to the House in April 1996, which said:
The Government's objective is to implement the various proposals, taking account of the Parliamentary timetable, the need to provide additional prison places and the resource implications".It is not a question of a review, but of whether and when it is appropriate to take action, bearing in mind those considerations.