Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions he has had with the judiciary on the adequacy of sentencing guidelines.

Sentencing Guidelines are developed by the independent Sentencing Council for England and Wales, in fulfilment of the statutory duty to do so.

The development of guidelines includes rigorous research and policy and legal investigation. All guidelines are subject to wide public consultation, generally over a 12-week period. Consultation will include responses from criminal justice professionals, subject matter experts, the Lord Chancellor and the Justice Select Committee of the House of Commons as part of this process.

The Council monitors and evaluates all definitive guideline, as per their statutory duty to do so. The assessment covers the operation and effect of the guideline in question.