§ Vera BairdTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will bring section 144 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 into force as a matter of urgency. [158562]
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§ Paul Goggins[holding answer 4 March 2004]: The Sentencing Advisory Panel has recently consulted on the reduction of sentence for a guilty plea with a view to proposing to the Sentencing Guidelines Council that it should make a guideline in this area. We consider that it would be sensible to await the outcome of this work before making a final decision on the commencement of section 144 of the 2003 Act.