Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill — Report (3rd Day) (Continued) — Amendment 85 — 15 Dec 2021 at 22:15

Moved by The Lord Bishop of Gloucester

85: After Clause 132, insert the following new Clause-“Pre-sentence report requirements (1) Section 30 of the Sentencing Act 2020 is amended as follows.(2) After subsection (3) insert-“(3A) A court must make inquiries to establish whether the offender is a primary carer for a child.(3B) If the court establishes that the offender is a primary carer for a child, unless there are exceptional circumstances before sentencing the offender the court must obtain a pre-sentence report containing information to enable the court to make an assessment of the impact of a custodial sentence on the child.”(3) After subsection (4) insert-“(5) In this section-(a) “child” means a person under the age of 18; and(b) “primary carer” means a person who has primary or substantial care responsibilities for a child.””Member’s explanatory statementThis Clause amends section 30 of the Sentencing Act 2020 to make clear the requirement for a sentencing judge to have a copy of a pre-sentence report, considering the impact of a custodial sentence on the dependent child, when sentencing a primary carer of a child.

Ayes 30, Noes 79.

Debate in Parliament |