Sentencing Reform (Hansard, 4 July 2001)

§ Lord Rooker

My right honourable friend the Home Secretary will be publishing the report of a Review of the Sentencing Framework at 9.30 am on 5 July, copies of which will be available in the Vote Office and placed in the Library. The review was announced on 16 May 2000. The review, which was led by John Halliday, a senior official in the Home Office who has now retired, was established to consider what principles should guide sentencing decisions and what types of disposal should be made available to the courts so as more effectively to reduce re-offending.

The report, which is a very thorough and thought-provoking document, was presented to Ministers on 1 May. The report contains a number of interesting proposals and recommendations, which the Government will consider very carefully. The review was conducted in an open and inclusive way and, in line with what my right honourable friend the Home Secretary said in the House on 27 June, we want to build upon that process by inviting views on the report's recommendations before reaching final conclusions ourselves. We will be asking for initial comments by 31 October 2001 and, in the meantime, the Government will be examining the proposals in more detail. We will make a further statement to Parliament when the Government have considered the responses received during the consultation period.