Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of reviewing sentencing guidelines for serious sexual offences committed by under-16s.

Sentencing guidelines are produced by the independent Sentencing Council, in fulfilment of its statutory duty to do so.

Under the current guidelines, children convicted of rape and sexual assault can be given custodial sentences.

The Lord Chancellor has the power under section 124 of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 to ask the Council to revise its guidelines, and we keep the possibility of making requests to the Council under active review.