Public Protection

I agree with my hon. Friend’s final point and pay tribute to the way in which he has taken up that appalling case in his constituency. I have listened carefully to his comments, which are based on what he has learned from the community that he represents. We need better sentencing regimes, which we have established, and we need the courts to carry them through. We also need proper risk assessments, and we are putting them in place. Earlier, I decided not to respond to the shadow Home Secretary’s gratuitous remarks about the early release scheme, and I am glad that my hon. Friend has pointed out that to confuse those issues, which are real, with the issues at stake in the Mary-Ann Leneghan case is dishonourable and discreditable.