CAUSING death by dangerous driving will attract a longer maximum prison sentence – 20 years instead of 14 – under the Sentencing Bill being brought forward by Alliance justice minister Naomi Long.

Other serious offences could attract longer sentences under the Bill and a separate review of sentencing policy launched last month.

But for lesser crimes, the minister wants alternatives to custody, as short spells in prison are expensive and frequently pointless.

The subject of driving highlights an option that has been strangely overlooked: disqualification as a stand-alone punishment, for any offence – two years off the road instead of three months in jail for theft, for example.

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A law allowing courts here to do this was passed in 2008 as part of a general Justice Act. However, it requires an order from the secretary of state to bring it into effect and the order has never been issued.

The devolution of justice in 2010 added some complexity, as Stormont would now have to ask the secretary of state to intervene.

But that need not be an obstacle: other parts of the same law were activated after 2010.

Without it, all of........

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