Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will review the 28-day time limit for referral of unduly lenient sentences.

The Government has no immediate plans to extend the 28-day time limit for a referral under the unduly lenient sentences scheme but is considering the wider operation of the scheme. The 28-day time limit reflects similar constraints on defendants appealing against conviction or sentence and avoids ongoing uncertainty for the offender and victims about the sentence to be served.

The Attorney General has announced that he will pilot a procedure whereby any relevant sentence imposed where reporting restrictions apply - which could mean an individual would be unaware of the sentence imposed by the court until after the 28-day time limit had expired – will be considered by the Law Officers under the scheme.