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Criminal Evidence (Witness Anonymity) Bill

I want to make it clear at the outset that the official Opposition do not accept the Government's timetable, although we accept the principle behind the need for the legislation. The Bill has not come up on us by surprise. The decision of the judicial Committee of the other place was made two or three weeks ago, but the trial took place as long ago as 2004, the murder took place in 2002 and the Court of Appeal considered the matter in 2006. Throughout that time, I suspect that lawyers within the Government will have been anticipating—if they were not, they should have been—one result or the other. That is to say, a confirmation—[Interruption.] If the Home Secretary would keep her mouth shut briefly, we could get on. [Hon. Members: ““Oh!””] I mean that quite seriously, Mr. Speaker—