§ Mr. ClappisonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans the Government have to implement section 9 of the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997. [40212]
§ Mr. MichaelThe Government plan to implement section 9 of the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997 early next year, subject to the satisfactory completion of pilots currently in progress. Section 9 requires a court, on passing a sentence of imprisonment, to identify the number of days spent on remand in custody or police detention by the defendant that are to be credited against the sentence imposed. It is essential that the courts have confidence in the remand information when sentencing. Pilots have been running since January with the aim of establishing a reliable system for passing remand details to the court.
The Crime and Disorder Bill currently before Parliament contains technical amendments to section 9 consequential on the Government's decisions to repeal certain measures in the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997. Rules, which are subject to the affirmative resolution procedure, are being drafted to govern the disallowing of remand time in cases where there are consecutive or wholly or partly concurrent sentences, and where some or all of a remand in custody is concurrent with a sentence of imprisonment.