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Criminal Evidence (Witness Anonymity) Bill

I was about to make that point. I think that I just said that if a house is fire-bombed, there would clearly be a risk to person anyway. However, let us suppose that there was a threat to torch a car. My car is not worth a great deal, but some people's are. Suppose that the car in question is worth £5,000 or £10,000. It is not just a question of buying a new car—there is all the inconvenience that goes with it, and the fear that that threat creates. There is an argument for saying that threat to property ought to be included in the Bill. My amendment, however, attempts to limit that a little by specifying that it should be the property of the witness or a close relative. That might help to square the circle to a degree by reducing the very broad nature of the test currently before us. I hope that my hon. Friend the Minister will address this issue when she responds and bear in mind the points that the New Zealand Attorney-General made in his published advice. It is a pity that advice on compatibility is not published here, because that would make our job an awful lot easier.