Greg Mulholland MP with families launching the manifesto of changes called for regarding    criminal driving laws. March 2015

Liberal Democrat MP for Leeds North West Greg Mulholland has written to Secretary of State for Justice, Michael Gove MP, to ask why no announcement was eventually included in the Queen’s Speech on measures to tackle criminal driving.

Following reports that ministers were due to announce measures in the Queen’s Speech to lengthen sentences for drivers who kill, families and campaigners were expecting government to confirm such measures when the Queen’s Speech was delivered last Wednesday, 18th May.

After raised expectations, nothing was eventually announced, leading to dismay among families, MPs and all others concerned. This comes after a Ministry of Justice review into criminal driving penalties, launched 6th May 2014, has now dragged on for over two years without any substantive update from ministers.

In his letter to justice secretary Michael Gove, Greg Mulholland says:

“It is important for ministers to clarify why nothing was eventually included in the Queen’s Speech and whether that means nothing will happen this year.”

He goes on to express concern about the amount of time the review is taking, saying:

“It is now crucial that ministers announce in the House as soon as possible not only the timetable for the review but also the date when families and campaigners can finally expect legislation to be brought forward.”

Commenting, Greg Mulholland said:

“Measures to toughen penalties for criminal drivers who injure or kill are long overdue. Families, campaigners and MPs were hoping that the Queen’s Speech would be used to set out what action government would finally be taking, but we were sadly disappointed to hear nothing in the end.

“Ministers must now clarify why they did not include anything in the Queen’s Speech, and whether this means nothing will happen this year. They must also speed up the review that was launched over two years ago. We need a clear timetable for how this review will progress and we also need clear dates on when legislation will be introduced in Parliament. Ministers must do this as soon as possible.”