§ Mr. ClappisonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Enfield, Southgate (Mr. Twigg) of 30 July,Official Report, columns 261–62, what is the linkage between section 20 of the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997 and other early release provisions; and if he will make a statement on his grounds for not implementing section 20; [12727]
(2) pursuant to his answer of 30 July, Official Report, columns 261–62, to the hon. Member for Enfield, Southgate how the extended supervision of sexual offenders he proposes in the Crime and Disorder Bill will differ from that provided in the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997. [12742]
§ Ms QuinWe decided not to implement the release and post-release supervision provisions set out in sections 10–26 of the 1997 Act on the grounds that they were unnecessarily complicated. Our preferred approach is that the courts should be required to spell out in open court what a sentence means in practice, based on the existing release and supervision arrangements provided for by the Criminal Justice Act 1991.
The principle of extended supervision of sex offenders is one which the Government fully support. However, the arrangements for extended supervision of sex offenders in the 1997 Act cannot be brought into effect independently of other provisions in part II of the Act which we believe would create overly complex arrangements. That is why we intend to bring forward fresh provision to do this in the Crime and Disorder Bill. This will give the courts the same powers in respect of maximum post-release supervision as section 20.