Question
T7. Last week the Government announced their Visitor Levy (England) Bill, which will create a number of new offences, including a 14-year maximum prison sentence for deliberate evasion of a tourist tax, all while the Government are still releasing prisoners early. Has the Department carried out a justice impact test, and when will the impact assessments be published? What assessment has the Department made of the additional prison spaces that would be needed?
Answer
The hon. Gentleman will not be surprised to hear that when any decision is taken across Government, it is done in the round and we have those conversations with our colleagues in other Departments. Giving local leaders the power to make that decision, if they want it, is important and, of course, if people do not follow it, there ought to be sanctions.
Verdict: RED (12/100)
The reply only partly addresses the question. It says decisions are taken collectively across government and that the Department works with colleagues in other departments, but it never states whether a justice impact test was carried out on the new offences or the 14-year maximum sentence. It does not address the publication date for the impact assessments, and it gives no figure or assessment for the additional prison places the new offences would need. A member of the public would most likely need to ask again for the specific information.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whether the Department has carried out a justice impact test on the Visitor Levy (England) Bill's new offences, including the 14-year maximum sentence for deliberate evasion of the levy. | Partially Addressed | Hedged | The reply says decisions are taken 'in the round' and that the Department talks to colleagues in other Departments, which gestures at cross-government consideration, but it never says whether a justice impact test was carried out on the new offences or the 14-year maximum. |
| When the impact assessments for the Visitor Levy (England) Bill will be published. | Not Addressed | Generic | The item asks for a publication date for the impact assessments, and no statement mentions impact assessments, publication timing, or any date. |
| What is the Department's assessment or view of the additional prison places that would be needed as a result of the Visitor Levy (England) Bill's new offences. | Not Addressed | Generic | No statement addresses the number of additional prison places or the Department's view of the custodial impact of the new offences; the sanctions remark in statement 5 is not an assessment of prison capacity. |