Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Unduly Lenient Sentence Scheme

Tuesday 21 November 2023 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Government expanded the unduly lenient sentence scheme in 2019 to include 14 new offences.
  • The scheme is intended for use in serious cases for offenders sentenced in the Crown court.
  • Government invested an extra 141 million in criminal legal aid to address delays and shortages in the legal profession.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Gareth Johnson Con
Justice & Courts
Context

The question arises from concerns over offences not covered by the unduly lenient sentence scheme, affecting victims of serious crimes.

Question

If the Government will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the unduly lenient sentence scheme to include additional offences. The fact that malicious wounding, actual bodily harm, burglary and even rape, when dealt with in the youth courts, do not come under the scheme is plain wrong.

Answer from Gareth Bacon

In 2019 we expanded the unduly lenient sentence scheme to include 14 new offences, including further child sexual offences and coercive or controlling behaviour. We have no immediate plans to extend the scheme further, but we keep it under constant review.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not commit to reviewing specific serious crimes committed by young offenders.

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Q2 Gareth Johnson Con
Crime & Law Enforcement Justice & Courts
Context

Concerns over the unduly lenient sentence scheme not covering certain serious crimes committed by young offenders.

Question

Welcoming the new Minister to his place; The fact that malicious wounding, actual bodily harm, burglary and even rape, when dealt with in the youth courts, do not come under the unduly lenient sentence scheme is plain wrong. Will he please review that situation which time and again lets down the victims of those serious crimes?

Answer from Gareth Bacon

The unduly lenient sentence scheme is intended for use in serious cases for offenders sentenced in the Crown court. The Attorney General has the power to refer a sentence to the Court of Appeal for review if they believe it is unduly lenient. A youth court can sentence a child to up to two years of detention only.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not commit to reviewing or addressing specific limitations in the scheme.

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Q3 Richard Foord Lib Dem Honiton and Sidmouth
Crime & Law Enforcement Justice & Courts Employment
Context

Concerns over up to 25% of criminal barristers leaving the profession in recent years, affecting court backlogs.

Question

Stiffening unduly lenient Crown court sentences is all very well, but there will still be delays in the system if there are backlogs in prosecuting in the courts. Up to 25% of criminal barristers have left the profession over the past five years, so what action are the Government taking to address the exodus of criminal barristers?

Answer from Gareth Bacon

In recent years the Government have invested an extra £141 million in criminal legal aid, which should expedite a solution to the situation.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not commit to specific actions or timelines for retaining and recruiting more criminal barristers.

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