---

Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill

My Lords, bearing in mind the fact that the new provisions have been operating only for a short period, as the Minister said, was any effort made to cure the situation if, in fact, there is a problem—I accept his argument for a moment—by giving strong advice to magistrates? If not, how can the Government say that they do not trust magistrates as regards suspended sentences yet trust them as regards custodial sentences? If they are totally unable to analyse the situation in relation in one area, how are they competent to deal with it in the other?