Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of extended sentences (a) generally and (b) in cases involving weapons in (i) deterring violent crimes and (ii) protecting the public.

The Government keeps the effectiveness of all parts of the sentencing framework, including the operation of extended determinate sentences, under constant review. We do not keep statistical information on the link between extended determinate sentences and the specific types of offending or issues referred to in the question. However, the Government is confident that these sentences are effective in providing an appropriately robust form of punishment for serious sexual and violent offenders as well as an appropriate level of public protection, in the form of an extended fixed licence period, to address the danger posed by such offenders.