To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his oral statement of 20 July 2006, Official Report, column 472, on criminal justice, what estimate he has made of the effect on the prison population of ending (a) the requirement that judges should automatically halve the minimum term when setting the earliest release date for those serving unlimited sentences, (b) the automatic discount to those re-sentenced on appeal and (c) the automatic one-third discount to those who plead guilty. (90206)

The impact on the prison population of changes to the way sentences are calculated will depend on how these proposals are implemented. The Government intend to publish a consultation on a number of sentencing issues, which will include estimates of the impact of the proposals. The Government do not intend to consult on changes to sentencing discounts for early guilty pleas, which is being considered by the Sentencing Guidelines Council, or for re-sentencing for unduly lenient sentences. The impact of these changes is currently being assessed.