Downing Street Says » 2006

» Wednesday, June 14, 2006

Sentencing

Asked what were the further measures that the Prime Minister talked about, and were they changes to parole arrangements, the Prime Minister's Official Spokesman (PMOS) replied that people should wait and see. We were aware that there were various reviews going on in the Home Office, and that the Home Secretary was looking at various aspects. Therefore, it was better that the Home Secretary was given the time and the space to reach his conclusions, and then to see what was necessary. What was clear was that there could be a need for further legislation in some areas, and that would come if necessary.

Briefing took place at 16:00 | Read whole briefing | Comments (0)

Life Sentencing

Asked whether the Prime Minister was aware of what the 53 cases were, the Prime Minister's Official Spokesman (PMOS) said that his understanding was these were cases that arose under the provisions of the 1997 Crime Sentences Act, which had been introduced by the previous administration, it legislated the concept of automatic life sentences for people who committed serious offences such as grievous bodily harm and sexual violence. Under that Act the court could set out a minimum tariff that had to be served for punishment. It was at the end of the tariff that the parole board could consider whether the individual concerned had to serve longer in order to protect the public. It was the parole board, not ministers or officials, which decided these cases. This government replaced the provisions of that act in the 2003 Criminal Justice Act, which widened considerably the range of offences, but most importantly it introduced the possibility of indeterminate sentences under which the parole board could judge that if an individual were still a serious threat to the public they would not be released. Therefore both the range of offences and the possible length of sentence had been considerably increased by this government. In response to the suggestion that the two strikes and your out legislation was 2000, the PMOS said that his understanding was that it was originally in the 1997 Crime Sentences Act.

Briefing took place at 16:00 | Read whole briefing | Comments (2)

Sovereignty

Asked in light of the Law Lords decision today had the Government decided to side with the Saudi government against British citizens, the PMOS said that if the journalist listened to what the Prime Minister had said, he had said precisely that we were not taking a position. Rather, we were defending British national interest, which was to defend the principle of sovereignty. The PMOS said that people could not take a neutral position on their own national sovereignty; people either surrendered it, or they defended it. Put that it was not the national sovereignty, the PMOS said that in terms of the legal implication, it was.

Briefing took place at 16:00 | Read whole briefing | Comments (2)

Immigrant Amnesty

Asked what the Prime Minister thought about an amnesty on immigrants, the PMOS said that there were no plans for an amnesty. Asked why Liam Byrne had asked officials to look at it, the PMOS said that he had been doing the proper job of a minister which had been to make sure he had all the facts and analysis available as was appropriate and if you looked at what he had said you could see it was clear that there were no plans for an amnesty.

Briefing took place at 16:00 | Read whole briefing | Comments (5)

Dorneywood

Asked by Sky if there was any update as to who would get Dorneywood, the PMOS said that they could keep asking, and he would keep ducking.

Briefing took place at 16:00 | Read whole briefing | Comments (0)

Forest Gate

Asked whether the Home Office knew about the raid beforehand, the PMOS said that all the appropriate agencies were informed and involved but he would not get into the process. Asked whether the Prime Minister knew, the PMOS said that he had not at any stage gone into the decision making process. It was the substance that mattered here not a commentary on the process.

Briefing took place at 16:00 | Read whole briefing | Comments (0)

» Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Forest Gate

Asked if the Prime Minister still backed the Police 101% after the statements today of the individuals arrested in Forest Gate, the Prime Minister's Official Spokesman (PMOS) said that that the Prime Minister's view had not changed. As he had said yesterday, if the police and the security agencies had failed to act on the intelligence they had received then people would have, quite rightly, been critical. The Prime Minister recognised that there were always difficult judgements to be made in cases like this. We supported the police and the security agencies in making those difficult judgements. People should keep in mind that those difficult judgements were against a backdrop of what continued to be a very real threat to this city and this country.

Briefing took place at 15:00 | Read whole briefing | Comment (1)

OECD Report

The Prime Minister's Official Spokesman (PMOS) told journalists that the OECD report that was published today had said that the UK had the highest rate of employment amongst all G7 countries. The UK had an employment rate of 72.6% on OECD figures, which was ahead of Canada, the US, Japan, France, Germany and Italy, and the UK had the best combination of employment rates, unemployment and inactivity rates in the G7. The report also acknowledged that initiatives such as JobCentre Plus, the New Deal, Job Seekers Allowance had been amongst the best in the world at meeting the challenges of removing barriers to work.

Briefing took place at 15:00 | Read whole briefing | Comments (0)

Unduly Lenient Sentences

Asked if the Prime Minister was upset with the Attorney General for expressing his concerns about John Reid's comments yesterday concerning sentencing, the PMOS said absolutely not. There were different roles within government and it was important not to confuse those roles. As he had said this morning, there was an independent judicial process within this country. That was something which we should not only recognise but also be very proud of. We had a judiciary which was not subject to political pressure or any other kind of pressure, which was something to value, treasure and be proud of. However whenever judicial decisions were taken that in some way seemed to be out of kilter with the public's notions of what was right or wring then there were grounds for legitimate concern to be expressed. It was entirely appropriate that the Home Secretary articulated that concern. Equally however, it was a fact, and should remain a fact, that the Home Secretary was not personally involved in the judicial process which decided the outcomes of cases.

Briefing took place at 15:00 | Read whole briefing | Comments (0)

Sentencing

Asked what the Prime Minister's feelings were about judges and lenient sentencing, and was it the fault of the judges or the politicians, and what was going to be done about it, the PMOS said that he was not going to comment on an individual case, as people would understand. Firstly, it was important to recognise that we did have an independent judicial system, and that it was free from political and other pressures. The Government believed that was a very important principle. Secondly, where there appeared to be a disconnect between the public's common sense view of right and wrong and how it saw that reflected in judicial decisions, then it was right and proper for the Home Secretary to articulate that concern. That was why John Reid asked the Attorney General to consider this case. The Attorney General, as a matter of course, did consider such cases, and did so on the legal basis. It was therefore entirely proper that any decisions about whether to refer in cases such as this were made on due legal process.

Briefing took place at 15:00 | Read whole briefing | Comments (0)

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» Wednesday, June 14, 2006

Sentencing

Life Sentencing

Sovereignty

Immigrant Amnesty

Dorneywood

Forest Gate

» Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Forest Gate

OECD Report

Unduly Lenient Sentences

Sentencing

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