Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans the Government has to produce a Green Paper on a presumption against shorter sentences.

Protecting the public will always be our priority. Community sentences will continue to be an important part of punishing and rehabilitating offenders.

Following the urgent internal review of sentencing, the Government has recently announced a Sentencing Bill. This Bill will contain a range of measures targeted at serious violent and sexual offenders, but will also contain proposals for community penalties that offer an appropriate level of punishment, while tackling the underlying drivers of re-offending. Before the Sentencing Bill is introduced the Government intends to publish a White Paper setting out proposals for reform.