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Session 2007 - 08
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Other Bills before Parliament


 
 

Public Bill Committee:                               

627

 

Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill, continued

 
 

(7)    

In the Criminal Justice Act 2003, omit sections 226 and 228.’.

 


 

Pre-sentence reports and other requirements for persons under the age of 18

 

Mr David Heath

 

David Howarth

 

nc58

 

To move the following Clause:—

 

‘(1)    

At the end of section 156 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 (c. 44) (procedural

 

requirements for imposing community sentences and discretionary custodial

 

sentences: pre-sentence reports and other requirements) insert—

 

“(9)    

All provisions of this section are subject to the requirements of section

 

156A below in relation to offenders aged under 18.”.

 

(2)    

After section 156 insert—

 

“156A

Pre-sentence reports and other requirements for persons aged under

 

18 before a custodial sentence may be imposed

 

(1)    

A court shall not pass a sentence of custody on a person under the age of

 

18 unless it has obtained and considered a pre-sentence report which

 

includes information from the relevant local authority stating—

 

(a)    

the circumstances relating to the offender and the offence or

 

offences of which the offender has been convicted,

 

(b)    

whether the offender appears to be a child in need as set out in

 

section 17 of the Children Act 1989, and if so details of the

 

offender’s needs as assessed by the local authority, and

 

(c)    

the services the local authority has provided to meet the needs of

 

the child or young person.

 

(2)    

The court may require the attendance at court of a senior offical of the

 

relevant local authority or any other local authority in order to determine

 

what further services may be provided which may prevent or avoid the

 

need for a custodial sentence.

 

(3)    

The court may not pass a custodial sentence unless it is satisfied—

 

(a)    

if the offender is a child in need, that services have been provided

 

by the local authority which were appropriate or sufficient to

 

meet the child’s needs, and

 

(b)    

that the provision of further, or any, services by the local

 

authority would not prevent or avoid the need for a custodial

 

sentence,

 

    

unless a custodial sentence is necessary to protect the public from an

 

imminent and demonstrable risk of serious physical or mental harm.

 

(4)    

Each local authority must submit an annual report to the Secretary of

 

State and the Lord Chancellor setting out the numbers and circumstances

 

of all the children who have been sentenced to custody from that local

 

authority area.

 

(5)    

For the purposes of this section “relevant local authority” means the local

 

authority in which the offender was habitually resident at the time of


 
 

Public Bill Committee:                               

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Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill, continued

 
 

committing the offence or offences in relation to which sentencing is

 

being considered by the court. In the event that the offender is no longer

 

resident in that locla authority area at the time of sentencing, or if there is

 

any doubt as to the relevant local authority, the court may of its own

 

volition or upon the request of any party determine which is the relevant

 

local authority.”.’.

 


 

Appeals against designation

 

Mr Harry Cohen

 

NC59

 

To move the following Clause:—

 

‘(1)    

A designated person may appeal against his designation.

 

(2)    

The Secretary of State must make regulations about appeals under this section.

 

(3)    

Regulations under this section are to be made by statutory instrument and are

 

subject to amendment in pursuance of a resolution of either House of

 

Parliament.’.

 


 

New Schedules

 

Mr David Hanson

 

NS1

 

To move the following Schedule:—

 

‘Special rules relating to providers of information society services

 

Domestic service providers: extension of liability

 

1    (1)  

This paragraph applies where a service provider is established in England and

 

Wales or Northern Ireland (a “domestic service provider”).

 

      (2)  

Section 64(1) applies to a domestic service provider who—

 

(a)    

is in possession of an extreme pornographic image in an EEA state

 

other than the United Kingdom, and

 

(b)    

is in possession of it there in the course of providing information

 

society services,

 

            

as well as to persons (of any description) who are in possession of such images

 

in England and Wales or Northern Ireland.

 

      (3)  

In the case of an offence under section 64, as it applies to a domestic service

 

provider by virtue of sub-paragraph (2)—

 

(a)    

proceedings for the offence may be taken at any place in England and

 

Wales or Northern Ireland, and

 

(b)    

the offence may for all incidental purposes be treated as having been

 

committed at any such place.

 

      (4)  

Nothing in this paragraph is to be read as affecting the operation of any of

 

paragraphs 3 to 5.


 
 

Public Bill Committee:                               

629

 

Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill, continued

 
 

Non-UK service providers: restriction on institution of proceedings

 

2    (1)  

This paragraph applies where a service provider is established in an EEA state

 

other than the United Kingdom (a “non-UK service provider”).

 

      (2)  

Proceedings for an offence under section 64 may not be instituted against a

 

non-UK service provider in respect of anything done in the course of the

 

provision of information society services unless the derogation condition is

 

satisfied.

 

      (3)  

The derogation condition is satisfied where the institution of proceedings—

 

(a)    

is necessary for the purposes of the public interest objective;

 

(b)    

relates to an information society service that prejudices that objective

 

or presents a serious and grave risk of prejudice to that objective; and

 

(c)    

is proportionate to that objective.

 

      (4)  

“The public interest objective” means the pursuit of public policy.

 

Exceptions for mere conduits

 

3    (1)  

A service provider is not capable of being guilty of an offence under section

 

64 in respect of anything done in the course of providing so much of an

 

information society service as consists in—

 

(a)    

the provision of access to a communication network, or

 

(b)    

the transmission in a communication network of information provided

 

by a recipient of the service,

 

            

if the condition in sub-paragraph (2) is satisfied.

 

      (2)  

The condition is that the service provider does not—

 

(a)    

initiate the transmission,

 

(b)    

select the recipient of the transmission, or

 

(c)    

select or modify the information contained in the transmission.

 

      (3)  

For the purposes of sub-paragraph (1)—

 

(a)    

the provision of access to a communication network, and

 

(b)    

the transmission of information in a communication network,

 

            

includes the automatic, intermediate and transient storage of the information

 

transmitted so far as the storage is solely for the purpose of carrying out the

 

transmission in the network.

 

      (4)  

Sub-paragraph (3) does not apply if the information is stored for longer than is

 

reasonably necessary for the transmission.

 

Exception for caching

 

4    (1)  

This paragraph applies where an information society service consists in the

 

transmission in a communication network of information provided by a

 

recipient of the service.

 

      (2)  

The service provider is not capable of being guilty of an offence under section

 

64 in respect of the automatic, intermediate and temporary storage of

 

information so provided, if—

 

(a)    

the storage of the information is solely for the purpose of making more

 

efficient the onward transmission of the information to other recipients

 

of the service at their request, and

 

(b)    

the condition in sub-paragraph (3) is satisfied.

 

      (3)  

The condition is that the service provider—

 

(a)    

does not modify the information,


 
 

Public Bill Committee:                               

630

 

Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill, continued

 
 

(b)    

complies with any conditions attached to having access to the

 

information, and

 

(c)    

(where sub-paragraph (4) applies) expeditiously removes the

 

information or disables access to it.

 

      (4)  

This sub-paragraph applies if the service provider obtains actual knowledge

 

that—

 

(a)    

the information at the initial source of the transmission has been

 

removed from the network,

 

(b)    

access to it has been disabled, or

 

(c)    

a court or administrative authority has ordered the removal from the

 

network of, or the disablement of access to, the information.

 

Exception for hosting

 

5    (1)  

A service provider is not capable of being guilty of an offence under section

 

64 in respect of anything done in the course of providing so much of an

 

information society service as consists in the storage of information provided

 

by a recipient of the service, if—

 

(a)    

the service provider had no actual knowledge when the information

 

was provided that it contained offending material, or

 

(b)    

on obtaining actual knowledge that the information contained

 

offending material, the service provider expeditiously removed the

 

information or disabled access to it.

 

      (2)  

“Offending material” means material the possession of which constitutes an

 

offence under section 64.

 

      (3)  

Sub-paragraph (1) does not apply if the recipient of the service is acting under

 

the authority or control of the service provider.

 

Interpretation

 

6    (1)  

This paragraph applies for the purposes of this Schedule.

 

      (2)  

“Extreme pornographic image” has the same meaning as in section 64.

 

      (3)  

“Information society services”—

 

(a)    

has the meaning given in Article 2(a) of the E-Commerce Directive

 

(which refers to Article 1(2) of Directive 98/34/EC of the European

 

Parliament and of the Council of 22 June 1998 laying down a

 

procedure for the provision of information in the field of technical

 

standards and regulations), and

 

(b)    

is summarised in recital 17 of the E-Commerce Directive as covering

 

“any service normally provided for remuneration, at a distance, by

 

means of electronic equipment for the processing (including digital

 

compression) and storage of data, and at the individual request of a

 

recipient of a service”;

 

            

and “the E-Commerce Directive” means Directive 2000/31/EC of the

 

European Parliament and of the Council of 8 June 2000 on certain legal aspects

 

of information society services, in particular electronic commerce, in the

 

Internal Market (Directive on electronic commerce).

 

      (4)  

“Recipient”, in relation to a service, means any person who, for professional

 

ends or otherwise, uses an information society service, in particular for the

 

purposes of seeking information or making it accessible.

 

      (5)  

“Service provider” means a person providing an information society service.

 

      (6)  

For the purpose of construing references in this Schedule to a service provider

 

who is established in a part of the United Kingdom or in some other EEA

 

state—


 
 

Public Bill Committee:                               

631

 

Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill, continued

 
 

(a)    

a service provider is established in a particular part of the United

 

Kingdom, or in a particular EEA state, if the service provider—

 

(i)    

effectively pursues an economic activity using a fixed

 

establishment in that part of the United Kingdom, or that EEA

 

state, for an indefinite period, and

 

(ii)    

is a national of an EEA state or a company or firm mentioned

 

in Article 48 of the EEC Treaty;

 

(b)    

the presence or use in a particular place of equipment or other

 

technical means of providing an information society service does not,

 

of itself, constitute the establishment of a service provider;

 

(c)    

where it cannot be determined from which of a number of

 

establishments a given information society service is provided, that

 

service is to be regarded as provided from the establishment at the

 

centre of the service provider’s activities relating to that service.’.

 


 

Mr David Hanson

 

NS2

 

To move the following Schedule:—

 

‘Hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation

 

1          

Part 3A of the Public Order Act 1986 (c. 64) (hatred against persons on

 

religious grounds) has effect subject to the following amendments.

 

2          

In the heading for Part 3A at the end insert “or grounds of sexual

 

orientationgraphic.

 

3          

In the italic cross-heading before section 29A at the end insert “and “hatred on

 

the grounds of sexual orientation””.

 

4          

After that section insert—

 

“29AB

  Meaning of “hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation”

 

Ingraphic this Part “hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation” means hatred

 

against a group of persons defined by reference to sexual orientation

 

(whether towards persons of the same sex, the opposite sex or both).”

 

5          

In the italic cross-heading before section 29B at the end insert “or hatred on

 

the grounds of sexual orientation”.

 

6    (1)  

Section graphic29B (use of words or behaviour or display of written material) is

 

amended as follows.

 

      (2)  

In subsection (1), after “religious hatred” insert “or hatred on the grounds of

 

sexual orientation”.

 

      (3)  

Omit subsection (3).

 

7          

In graphicsection 29C(1) (publishing or distributing written material), after “religious

 

hatred” insert “or hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation”.

 

8          

In section 29D(1) (public performance of play), after “religious hatred” insert

 

“or hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation”.

 

9          

In section 29E(1) (distributing, showing or playing a recording), after

 

“religious graphichatred” insert “or hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation”.

 

10         

In section 29F(1) (broadcasting or including programme in programme

 

service), after “religious hatred” insert “or hatred on the grounds of sexual

 

orientation”.


 
 

Public Bill Committee:                               

632

 

Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill, continued

 
 

11         

In section 29G(1) (possession of inflammatory material), for “religious hatred

 

to be stirgraphicred up thereby” substitute “thereby to stir up religious hatred or hatred

 

on the grounds of sexual orientation”.

 

12  (1)  

Section 29H (powers of entry and search) is amended as follows.

 

      (2)  

In subsection (1), omit “in England and Wales”.

 

      (3)  

Omit subsection (2).

 

13  (1)  

Section graphic29I (power to order forfeiture) is amended as follows.

 

      (2)  

In subsection (2)—

 

(a)    

in paragraph (a), omit “in the case of an order made in proceedings in

 

England and Wales,”; and

 

(b)    

omit paragraph (b).

 

      (3)  

Omit graphicsubsection (4).

 

14         

In section 29K(1) (savings for reports of parliamentary or judicial

 

proceedings), for “or in the Scottish Parliament” substitute “, in the Scottish

 

Parliament or in the National Assembly for Wales”.

 

15  (1)  

Section 29L (procedure and punishment) is amended as follows.

 

      (2)  

In graphicsubsections (1) and (2), omit “in England and Wales”.

 

      (3)  

In subsection (3), in paragraph (b), for “six months” substitute “12 months”.

 

      (4)  

After that subsection insert—

 

“(4)    

In subsection (3)(b) the reference to 12 months shall be read as a

 

reference to 6 months in relation to an offence committed before the

 

commencement graphicof section 154(1) of the Criminal Justice Act 2003.”

 

16         

In section 29N (interpretation), after the definition of “dwelling” insert—

 

““hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation” has the meaning given by

 

section 29AB;”.’.

 

As Amendments to Mr David Hanson’s proposed New Schedule (Hatred on the

 

grounds of sexual orientation) (NS2):—

 

Mr David Heath

 

David Howarth

 

(a)

 

Line  18,  at end insert—

 

‘(2A)    

After subsection (1) insert—

 

“(1A)    

An action under subsection (1) may include any action intended to equate

 

sexual orientation with a propensity or intention to commit an

 

imprisonable offence.”’.

 

Mr David Heath

 

David Howarth

 

(b)

 

Line  40,  at end insert—

 

‘(13A)    

After section 29I insert—


 
 

Public Bill Committee:                               

633

 

Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill, continued

 
 

“29IA

 European Convention on Human Rights

 

Unless expressly limited by any provision within this Part, no right under

 

Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights shall be

 

affected.”’.

 


 

Mr David Hanson

 

NS3

 

To move the following Schedule:—

 

‘Sexual offences: grooming and adoption

 

Meeting a child following sexual grooming

 

1          

In section 15(1) of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 (c. 42) (meeting a child

 

following sexual grooming etc) for paragraphs (a) and (b) substitute—

 

“(a)    

A has met or communicated with another person (B) on at

 

least two occasions and subsequently—

 

(i)    

A intentionally meets B,

 

(ii)    

A travels with the intention of meeting B in any part

 

of the world or arranges to meet B in any part of the

 

world, or

 

(iii)    

B travels with the intention of meeting A in any part

 

of the world,

 

(b)    

A intends to do anything to or in respect of B, during or after

 

the meeting mentioned in paragraph (a)(i) to (iii) and in any

 

part of the world, which if done will involve the commission

 

by A of a relevant offence,”.

 

Adoption

 

2          

The Sexual Offences Act 2003 (c. 42) has effect subject to the following

 

amendments.

 

3          

In section 27(1)(b) (family relationships) after “but for” insert “section 39 of

 

the Adoption Act 1976 or”.

 

4          

In section 29(1)(b) (sections 25 and 26: sexual relationships which pre-date

 

family relationships) after “if” insert “section 39 of the Adoption Act 1976 or”.

 

5    (1)  

Section 64 (sex with an adult relative: penetration) is amended as follows.

 

      (2)  

In subsection (1) after “(A)” insert “(subject to subsection (3A))”.

 

      (3)  

In subsection (3) after “In subsection (2)—” insert—

 

“(za)    

“parent” includes an adoptive parent;

 

(zb)    

“child” includes an adopted person within the meaning of

 

Chapter 4 of Part 1 of the Adoption and Children Act 2002;”.

 

      (4)  

After that subsection insert—

 

“(3A)    

Where subsection (1) applies in a case where A is related to B as B’s

 

child by virtue of subsection (3)(zb), A does not commit an offence

 

under this section unless A is 18 or over.”

 

      (5)  

After subsection (5) insert—

 

“(6)    

Nothing in—


 
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