Oral Answers to Questions

Keith Vaz Excerpts

Tuesday 7th January 2014 Commons Chamber

[Valerie Vaz (Walsall South) (Lab)]

rose—

[Keith Vaz (Leicester East) (Lab)]

rose—

[Mr Speaker]

Ah! The vying Vazs. What a delicious choice. I call Valerie Vaz.

--- Later in debate ---

[The Attorney-General]

My hon. Friend can be reassured that most of those cases will be referable and, indeed, I have referred such cases to the Court of Appeal. I am afraid that I cannot give him the statistics at the Dispatch Box but I will write to him with the statistics for the last 12 months.

[Keith Vaz]

As the Attorney-General has said, there are a number of very serious cases that cannot be referred. He says that that is a matter for Parliament. But will he take the initiative and start a consultation, allowing Members to put forward their views as to which offences should be subject to these reviews?

[The Attorney-General]

As the right hon. Gentleman will be aware, other offences have been added to the specified offences. In August 2012, we added trafficking people for exploitation. In May 2006, various offences under the Sexual Offences Act 2003, to which we have just referred, were added. Of course that is possible but, as I said in my first answer, we need to balance the need for finality and the need not to end up with a system where the Court of Appeal becomes the sentencing court for almost all offences. But if the right hon. Gentleman has examples that he feels need to be considered, I strongly urge him to write either to me or to my right hon. Friend the Lord Chancellor and those can undoubtedly be considered.