UK Membership of EU: Referendums

(asked on 15th July 2015) - View Source

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to schedules 1 and 2 to the European Referendum Bill, for what reason the maximum custodial sentence for a person who contravenes the Offence Provisions is six months in Northern Ireland and 12 months in other parts of the UK.


Answered by
David Lidington Portrait
David Lidington
This question was answered on 24th July 2015

The offences in Schedules 1 and 2 to the EU Referendum Bill follow precedents set by existing law in relation to sentencing.

For these offences the maximum penalties in each part of the UK are the same on conviction on indictment. Where there are differences in the maximum custodial sentence on summary conviction, this reflects existing differences in sentencing powers of the courts that try cases summarily in different parts of the UK.

For summary convictions in England and Wales, the Bill provides that references to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months should be read as 6 months for offences committed before section 154(1) of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 is commenced.

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