To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his assessment is of the financial implications of implementing sections 154 and 155 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003. (155545)

Implementation of sections 154 and 155 (magistrates sentencing powers) in conjunction with sections 181 and 182 (custody plus sentence) was deferred in July 2006. No assessment has been made of implementing the magistrates sentencing powers independently of the custody plus sentence.