Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Government Response to the Justice Committee’s Eighteenth Report of Session 2017-19: The Role of the Magistracy, CP192, what progress he has made on compiling the evidence base required to inform a decision on extending the custodial sentencing powers of Magistrates; and if he will make a statement.
The Government has no current plans to increase magistrates’ custodial sentencing powers and has made no recent assessment of the impact of doing so.