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Shipman Inquiry

I intend to speak about this matter, but I want to be clear about the point that the hon. Gentleman is making. He was talking about circumstances that amount to the equivalent of a serious criminal charge, but the essence, as I understand it, of the application of the criminal standard of proof beyond a reasonable doubt is not simply that a criminal charge has been brought but that it entails criminal penalties. To put it another way, there is a difference of substance between, on the one hand, the risk of being deprived of one’s livelihood as a result of adjudication and, on the other, the risk of being deprived of one’s liberty by a criminal court. That distinction must be retained.