Clause 10
Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill
11:00 am
David Hanson (Minister of State, Ministry of Justice; Delyn, Labour)
I listened carefully to what the Magistrates Association said in evidence to the Committee on 16 October, but I have to make a judgment and my judgment is that the clause will affect low level, summary only cases, which can be dealt with by a community sentence rather than by immediate custody through suspended sentence orders, which will happen in due course. That is a judgment between the Magistrates Association and myself, the Lord Chancellor, the previous Lord Chancellor, NACRO and others, including other hon. Members, not just members of my party.