Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Unduly Lenient Sentence Scheme

Thursday 7 December 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 1 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Kevin Foster asked about the effectiveness of the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme, noting that 139 out of 819 requests in 2022 were referred to the Court of Appeal, with 68% of those cases seeing an increase in sentence.
  • The Solicitor General expressed gratitude for Kevin Foster's long-standing interest in the unduly lenient sentence scheme and acknowledged the importance of reviewing cases such as the one involving a Royal Navy sailor.
  • Barry Sheerman requested the Solicitor General to clarify and publicize the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme, expressing dissatisfaction with sentences given, such as that of Bernie Ecclestone.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Kevin Foster Con
Justice & Courts
Context

MP is concerned about the effectiveness and impact of unduly lenient sentence reviews.

Question

What assessment has been made of the effectiveness of the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme? In 2022, my office received 819 requests to review unduly lenient sentences. Of those, 139 were referred to the Court of Appeal, and the sentence was increased in 68% of cases.

Answer from Michael Tomlinson

In 2022, my office received 819 requests to review unduly lenient sentences. Of those, 139 were referred to the Court of Appeal, and the sentence was increased in 68% of cases.

Answered
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Q2 Kevin Foster Con
Justice & Courts
Context

A serving Royal Navy sailor was attacked and the offenders received small fines, prompting concern about deterrent effect.

Question

What steps will the Government take to review the unduly lenient sentence scheme to cover cases such as that? I welcome much of the work being done. As the Solicitor General will be aware, a serving Royal Navy sailor was the subject of a violent attack in Torquay when he attempted to stop a group of yobs stamping a bird to death, but the unduly lenient community sentences and small fines handed down did not reflect the gravity of the offence or provide any deterrent.

Answer from Michael Tomlinson

I am very grateful to my hon. Friend for his question. I know he has had a long-standing interest in this subject since even before he was a Member of the House, and I am grateful to him for holding the Government to account. He knows that the ULS scheme—the unduly lenient sentence scheme—is reserved for the most serious matters. It is right to say that we keep the scheme under review.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Imminent changes or concrete steps to address specific cases were not promised.

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Q3 Barry Sheerman Lab
Justice & Courts
Context

MP writes regularly about too lenient or severe sentences, advocating for a balance in the scheme.

Question

Could the Solicitor General make it clearer what the scheme is about and spread the message more broadly? I regularly write to him to say that a sentence has been too lenient. I recently wrote to him about Bernie Ecclestone, who I thought should have been severely punished for his behaviour. I have also sometimes written to the Solicitor General and his predecessors about too severe sentences, often involving women who have not conducted any violent crime but get long sentences. Can we have a balance, please?

Answer from Michael Tomlinson

Well, it is a Thursday, and I think we have heard a call for a Backbench Business debate or, indeed, for an Adjournment debate, and I would warmly welcome that. There have been such debates on the unduly lenient sentence scheme. It is not a mystery—there are further details online—but I would seriously welcome a further debate to air these matters, because they are important.

Not addressed: The question about clearer communication and balance was not directly addressed; instead, he suggested debates as an alternative approach.

How: Suggesting Debates

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