Police and Justice Bill

My Lords, we remain concerned that the Government are taking our judicial system down a route that could lead to the widespread use of administrative punishment instead of the impartial hearing that is given in a magistrates’ court. Fair trial safeguards and the involvement of the independent court in the delivery of punishment are in the wider public interest and in the interest of the victims of crime. As the noble Baroness knows, I would have preferred to have seen the full report on the operation of conditional cautions, as introduced in the Criminal Justice Act 2003, before we pressed ahead with extending them to punishment. This morning I have been in contact with the Magistrates' Association and I have made sure that the noble and learned Lord’s office knew that. I know that the Magistrates' Association shares our concern that these proposals breach the basic principle that sentencing is a matter for the independent judiciary and will still breach that principle despite the concessions offered today. Why am I not opposing the government amendment and why have I not tabled a Motion? We have very carefully considered the arguments set out on Report by the noble and learned Lord the Attorney-General (at col. 130 of the Official Report of 10 October) that the law currently prevents an offender who has admitted criminal damage from being able to carry out restorative work when the damage has already been dealt with and that the law prevents him from being ordered to carry out other work in lieu—the indirect reparation to which the noble and learned Lord referred in moving the government Motion. We have certainly considered that and we see the practical arguments behind the Government’s reasons for wishing to press ahead on such a basis. Today the Attorney-General has come forward with amendments that do much to allay the concerns that I brought forward in Committee. I am grateful to him. They should restrict the degree of discretion which may be exercised by prosecutors in relation to imposing punitive cautions that effectively impose a fine and, despite that, as the noble and learned Lord, Lord Lloyd of Berwick, said, we seem to be shifting, I hope—by the nature of what may be happening—from regulations towards more of a fixed penalty. I am certainly grateful to the noble and learned Lord the Attorney-General for arranging meetings on these matters yesterday. Although, of course, we had seen the published government amendments that came out on Monday, when I met the noble and learned Lord I was not aware of the letter that was winging its way to me from the noble Baroness which gave further explanation. It was not on my desk when I went to see the Attorney-General, but a quarter of an hour later, when I got back, it was on my desk. I only hope that the noble and learned Lord did not think I was looking somewhat vacant and surprised when he made some of his proposals—they certainly came fresh to my mind. It means that today we do not have to object to the Government’s Motion. It was constructive to hear that the Government will prescribe, in secondary legislation, the offences to which a financial penalty will apply. That is in the printed amendments. However, as we were told in the letter, the practical application is that only a limited range of offences will be prescribed. That is important. They will be listed in banded groups, giving a limited discretion to take the offender’s financial circumstances into account. I agree entirely with the noble and learned Lord, Lord Lloyd of Berwick, about the financial advantages of that. We shall, however, wish to monitor closely the use of the punitive conditional caution. It should not be an ““Open Sesame”” for widening administrative punishment without conclusive evidence being produced to both Houses that it is both necessary and appropriate. But, as a result of today’s amendments and the further clarification in the Government’s letter, we do not object to the Motion.