Member

The amendment from the noble Viscount, Lord Hailsham, also seeks, as he explained, discretion and common sense in the council’s production of the guidelines. Nobody is suggesting that the Sentencing Council’s work is not important, or that promoting consistency in sentencing is not a laudable aim. The noble Viscount’s amendment would enable guidelines to permit sentencing judges to order a PSR if they regard it as likely to be relevant to the determination of the appropriate sentence. That is a proper function of such guidelines. The noble and learned Lord, Lord Garnier, and the noble Lord, Lord Meston, with their experience of sentences, pointed out how helpful pre-sentence reports are.