A Westminster Hall debate on the spending of the Ministry of Justice on legal aid is scheduled for Thursday 22 October at 3pm. The Member leading the debate is Sir Robert Neill MP.
Documents to download
-
Serious driving offences (221 KB, PDF)
Members of Parliament often have their attention drawn to serious or fatal road accidents in their constituencies, after which the driver responsible for the accident is charged with a relatively minor traffic offence and/or where the penalty seems totally inappropriate in relation to the seriousness of the accident and the impact on the victims and their families. This has resulted in concerns about the adequacy of road traffic law and the application of it in dealing with those responsible for serious road accidents.
Governments of all parties have sought to address some of these anxieties by increasing maximum sentences and fine levels and introducing new offences. In recent years this has included new offences of ‘causing serious injury’ by various driving offences, long campaigned for by road safety and road accident victim groups.
In December 2016 the Ministry of Justice published a consultation paper on changes to four key areas: the distinction between ‘careless’ and ‘dangerous’ driving; a perceived ‘gap in the law’ for causing serious injury by careless driving; the maximum penalties for causing death; and driving disqualifications. The consultation closes on 1 February 2017.
As the justice system is devolved in Scotland, the information herein relating to charging and sentencing policy relates to England and Wales only.
Separate Commons Library briefing papers are available on driving while under the influence of drugs (SN2884), drink driving (SN788) and driving while using a mobile phone (SN366). Information on other roads-related issues can be found on the Roads Topical Page of the Parliament website.
Documents to download
-
Serious driving offences (221 KB, PDF)
Related posts
-
-
The Covert Human Intelligence Sources (Criminal Conduct) Bill 2019-2021 was introduced in the House of Commons on 24 September 2020. It is due to have Second Reading on 5 October. It would introduce a power in the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 to authorise conduct by officials and agents of the security and intelligence services, law enforcement, and certain other public authorities, which would otherwise constitute criminality.
-
This Insight looks at how different ethnic groups compared statistically in areas such as convictions, sentencing lengths, types of offence, pleas and at the bench in 2019 across England and Wales.
