Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the highest number of total previous offences an offender had committed before being given an immediate custodial sentence in each of last two years.
Obtaining the necessary information to answer the question fully, requires access to the Police National Computer (PNC). This system can only be accessed via a fixed location in our offices, for security reasons. Access to the PNC has thus been severely restricted since March 2020 due to the national restrictions and the need to minimise non-essential travel.
I will write to the noble Lord in due course with the information requested, once my officials are able safely to access the PNC and will place a copy of my letter in the House Library.