Coroners and Justice Bill

I thank the noble and learned Lord, Lord Lloyd of Berwick, for introducing the debate. I also thank all noble Lords who have spoken in it. Very important issues are at stake. Before I outline the government amendments, I make it clear that we are not suggesting, of course—as I know the Committee agrees—a United States-style grid with narrow sentencing ranges. That idea was firmly rejected at an early stage by the independent working group chaired by Lord Justice Gage. The membership of that committee comprised most distinguished lawyers and criminologists. It was not so distinguished once the noble Lord, Lord Thomas of Gresford, resigned from it, but it was still fairly distinguished, even without him. I wish to quote from the Second Reading speech of the noble Baroness, Lady Linklater. She said: ""We are very glad that the sentencing grid, as proposed by the noble Lord, Lord Carter, has been rejected and that the current proposal in the Bill broadly reflects, instead, the conclusions of the working group under Lord Justice Gage, who had looked closely at the Carter proposals. The wording of the Bill is that the courts must have regard to the guidelines, but there is also the important caveat,""‘unless the court is satisfied that it would be contrary to the interests of justice to do so’.""I am well aware that this is causing real concern for sentencers and that it will require careful scrutiny. However"—" I take comfort from the following words— ""it is a serious attempt to balance the need for consistency with the need for judicial discretion. It will be important to ensure that it never becomes an exercise in predicting prison numbers, or that its emphasis is perceived to be on the punitive, as opposed to the restorative and rehabilitative, element of sentencing".—[Official Report, 18/5/09; col. 1290.]" I do not know whether I was wrong to do so but I took comfort from what the noble Baroness said at Second Reading on behalf of her party.