Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to page 52 of the White Paper, A Smarter Approach to Sentencing, what steps his Department is taking to help encourage the use of deferred sentencing.

Sentencing in individual cases is entirely a matter for our independent courts, taking into account all the circumstances of the case.

The Sentencing White Paper, A Smarter Approach to Sentencing, published in September 2020, set out a package of reforms to ensure that the most serious offenders are kept in prison for longer and to deliver tougher, better monitored and more effective community sentencing which punishes offenders, tackles the underlying drivers of offending, and provides support for those who want to turn their lives around. As part of this package of reforms, the Sentencing White Paper set out our aim to encourage the use of deferred sentences, where the court has the capacity.

Reforms within the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, currently before Parliament, deliver on many of the commitments made and, beyond the Bill, we are taking forward various initiatives to progress the plans we set out.