Sentencing (Pre-consolidation Amendments) Bill [HL]
1.The Sentencing (Pre-consolidation Amendments) Bill [HL] was introduced into the House of Lords on 22 May 2019 and had second reading on 12 June.
2.The Bill arises from a project undertaken by the Law Commission to consolidate legislation on sentencing. The aim of its work is to create a single legislative sentencing code that will gather together the relevant law and serve as the focal point, by way of amendment, for future law-making in this area. This Bill is not itself the consolidating legislation that will constitute the sentencing code. Rather, it is a necessary precursor to that legislation that will prepare the ground by making changes to the law that is to be consolidated.
3.In our report, Preparing Legislation for Parliament, we explored the need for greater consolidation, especially “where consistent application of the law is now under threat from the sheer complexity of the existing statute book”.1 We recommended the Government provide the Law Commission with the necessary resources to undertake this work and said “consolidating immigration and sentencing law in particular would offer real benefits not only in relation to the clarity and ease of application of the law, but in terms of cost and efficiency savings within the justice system.”2 We welcome this Bill and the Law Commission’s work to consolidate sentencing law. After this Bill completes its passage, we recommend the Government bring forward the subsequent consolidation bill at the earliest opportunity.
1 Constitution Committee, The Legislative Process: Preparing Legislation for Parliament (4th Report, Session 2017–19, HL Paper 27), para 147
2 Ibid.