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Criminal Evidence (Witness Anonymity) Bill

With the leave of the House, Mr. Deputy Speaker, I should like to answer the questions that have been raised. The hon. and learned Member for Harborough (Mr. Garnier) asked about the rules. I think that the fact that the rules committee is meeting on Friday indicates that it intends to move swiftly. We hope that the rules will be produced as soon as is practicable, commensurate with the consideration that the committee must give to what they should say. On his question about what precisely is being abolished, I draw his attention to Hansard, where my noble Friend the Attorney-General made it clear that"““We are dealing only with the common law ability to grant anonymity orders, which the Judicial Committee said we cannot use, and we are substituting a statutory framework by way of the provision.””—[Official Report, House of Lords, 15 July 2008; Vol. 703, c. 1107.]" What is being abolished is not the ancient common-law right to confront one's accuser, but the system that had grown up in the court for creating anonymity orders. That is being replaced by the statute before us.