To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the news story from the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales entitled The evolving response to ethnic disproportionality in youth justice, published on 19 December 2025, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of Islington’s change...

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the news story from the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales entitled The evolving response to ethnic disproportionality in youth justice, published on 19 December 2025, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of Islington’s change...

I. Letter dated 13/05/2025 from Lord Timpson to Peers regarding the appropriateness of the term ‘personal characteristics', as discussed during the Second Reading of the Sentencing Guidelines (Pre-sentence Reports) Bill. 3p. II. Letter dated 27/05/2025 from Lord Timpson to Lord Beith, Lord Thomas of Gresford and Lord Bishop of Gloucester regarding questions raised during the Committee stage of the Bill. 2p. III. Letter dated 19/06/2025 from Lord Timpson to the Deposited Papers Clerk regarding 2 letters for deposit in the House librraies. 1p.

I. Letter dated 13/05/2025 from Lord Timpson to Peers regarding the appropriateness of the term ‘personal characteristics', as discussed during the Second Reading of the Sentencing Guidelines (Pre-sentence Reports) Bill. 3p. II. Letter dated 27/05/2025 from Lord Timpson to Lord Beith, Lord Thomas of Gresford and Lord Bishop of Gloucester...

Lords third reading. Bill passed.

Lords third reading. Bill passed.

Moved by

Lord Timpson

Moved by

Lord Timpson

My Lords, I start by paying tribute to the chairman of the Sentencing Council, Lord Justice Bill Davis, after the sad news that he passed away at the weekend. He made a significant contribution to criminal justice and I particularly recognise his work serving on the Sentencing Council, first as...

My Lords, I start by paying tribute to the chairman of the Sentencing Council, Lord Justice Bill Davis, after the sad news that he passed away at the weekend. He made a significant contribution to criminal justice and I particularly recognise his work serving on the Sentencing Council, first as...

My Lords, I add my note of sadness at the news of the death of Lord Justice William Davis recently and add my condolences to those of the Minister to his family upon his passing. He was a judge of great distinction. He led the Sentencing Council, which is the...

My Lords, I add my note of sadness at the news of the death of Lord Justice William Davis recently and add my condolences to those of the Minister to his family upon his passing. He was a judge of great distinction. He led the Sentencing Council, which is the...

My Lords, I pay tribute to the late Lord Justice William Davis. We learned of his death over the weekend with deep sadness. His integrity, clarity of thought and unwavering commitment to fairness made him a towering figure in the field of criminal justice. His loss will be felt across...

My Lords, I pay tribute to the late Lord Justice William Davis. We learned of his death over the weekend with deep sadness. His integrity, clarity of thought and unwavering commitment to fairness made him a towering figure in the field of criminal justice. His loss will be felt across...

My Lords, I first associate myself with the words of those who spoke in tribute to Lord Justice William Davis. News of his death on Saturday morning reached his fellow judges, and former judges, like a thunderclap. He really was tremendously admired and liked. He would take on any additional...

My Lords, I first associate myself with the words of those who spoke in tribute to Lord Justice William Davis. News of his death on Saturday morning reached his fellow judges, and former judges, like a thunderclap. He really was tremendously admired and liked. He would take on any additional...

I beg to move.

I beg to move.

Lords report stage. Amendment 2 disagreed to on division (65 to 130).

Lords report stage. Amendment 2 disagreed to on division (65 to 130).

Moved by

Viscount Hailsham

1: Clause 1, page 1, line 5, leave out from “may” to end of line 7 and insert “include provision framed by reference to any individual circumstances or personal characteristics of an offender, provided that the guidelines state that these can only be taken into account if the...

Moved by

Viscount Hailsham

1: Clause 1, page 1, line 5, leave out from “may” to end of line 7 and insert “include provision framed by reference to any individual circumstances or personal characteristics of an offender, provided that the guidelines state that these can only be taken into account if the...

My Lords, in moving Amendment 1 in my name, I begin with an apology. I have not previously intervened in the debates on the Bill. Unfortunately, long-standing commitments, including professional commitments, prevented me from participating both at Second Reading and in Committee. That, in fact, is one of the disadvantages,...

My Lords, in moving Amendment 1 in my name, I begin with an apology. I have not previously intervened in the debates on the Bill. Unfortunately, long-standing commitments, including professional commitments, prevented me from participating both at Second Reading and in Committee. That, in fact, is one of the disadvantages,...

My Lords, I agree very much with what the noble Viscount has said. His amendment, like others in this group, would give some helpful clarity to an extremely unclear piece of legislation. I think we are about to make bad law, because the Government have been unable or unwilling to...

My Lords, I agree very much with what the noble Viscount has said. His amendment, like others in this group, would give some helpful clarity to an extremely unclear piece of legislation. I think we are about to make bad law, because the Government have been unable or unwilling to...

My Lords, I confess that I am still struggling to understand this Bill, despite it having only one clause. The Minister was as helpful as he could be in Committee, and we all know his pedigree, but he has been dealt a very difficult hand. I think this

is a...

My Lords, I confess that I am still struggling to understand this Bill, despite it having only one clause. The Minister was as helpful as he could be in Committee, and we all know his pedigree, but he has been dealt a very difficult hand. I think this

is a...

My Lords, like my noble friend Lord Hailsham, I begin my remarks by apologising for not having been able to attend the earlier stages of the Bill. However, I am happy to say that, like my noble friend, I have read the report and I am reasonably up to date...

My Lords, like my noble friend Lord Hailsham, I begin my remarks by apologising for not having been able to attend the earlier stages of the Bill. However, I am happy to say that, like my noble friend, I have read the report and I am reasonably up to date...

My Lords, I have not spoken before on the Bill, and frankly, like others, I was rather astonished that this was a topic requiring legislation at all. Like the noble and learned Lord, I have been what you would probably call a low-level sentencer for a number of years.

I will...

My Lords, I have not spoken before on the Bill, and frankly, like others, I was rather astonished that this was a topic requiring legislation at all. Like the noble and learned Lord, I have been what you would probably call a low-level sentencer for a number of years.

I will...

My Lords, I have not previously spoken on the substance of the Bill before, either, but I am very attracted by the noble Viscount’s amendment, for the reasons that he and the noble and learned Lord, Lord Garnier, have set out.

I think the Government have accepted that their Bill is...

My Lords, I have not previously spoken on the substance of the Bill before, either, but I am very attracted by the noble Viscount’s amendment, for the reasons that he and the noble and learned Lord, Lord Garnier, have set out.

I think the Government have accepted that their Bill is...

My Lords, I, too, have not spoken before on the Bill. I understand the sentiment behind the noble Viscount’s amendment. As a former judge in Scotland, I do not demur from the advantage of having such reports. However, I wonder whether there is an element of confusion in the various...

My Lords, I, too, have not spoken before on the Bill. I understand the sentiment behind the noble Viscount’s amendment. As a former judge in Scotland, I do not demur from the advantage of having such reports. However, I wonder whether there is an element of confusion in the various...

My Lords, before turning to Amendment 2 in my name, I will make a number of points that are relevant to the general difficulty of this Bill, highlighted by all the amendments in this group, and relevant to the unsuitability of legislating for what the Sentencing Council may or may...

My Lords, before turning to Amendment 2 in my name, I will make a number of points that are relevant to the general difficulty of this Bill, highlighted by all the amendments in this group, and relevant to the unsuitability of legislating for what the Sentencing Council may or may...