Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to her Department's press release entitled Justice Secretary introduces democratic lock over Sentencing Council, published on 2 September 2025, what plans she has for enabling Parliament to (a) scrutinise and (b) influence future Sentencing Council guidelines.

The Lord Chancellor has brought forward measures in the Sentencing Bill to ensure that there is stronger democratic and judicial oversight of sentencing guidelines the Sentencing Council produces.

The Council will be placed under a statutory obligation to obtain approval from both the Lord Chancellor and Lady Chief Justice for all guidelines. This means that no guidelines can be issued without the Lord Chancellor and Lady Chief Justice each explicitly approving it. The Council will also be required to obtain Lord Chancellor approval of its annual business plan.

The Sentencing Council has an existing statutory obligation to consult with the Justice Select Committee on draft sentencing guidelines, which is unaffected by the measures we are taking forward in the Sentencing Bill.