Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of drivers under the age of 18 that cause death or serious injury through dangerous driving being convicted as adults instead of minors.

An offender cannot be treated as an adult if they are under the age of 18 on the date of conviction. These offenders will receive a disposal under the youth sentencing framework.

Where an offender turns 18 between the commission of the offence and the date of conviction they will then receive an adult sentence, although when setting the length and requirements of the sentence the court should take as its starting point the sentence likely to have been imposed on the date at which the offence was committed.