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Coroners and Justice Bill

I am very glad to follow the noble Lord, Lord Rees-Mogg, for what he said must have done much to allay the sorts of concerns that lay behind the drafting of these provisions when they were first incorporated in the Bill. I apologise for missing the opening remarks of the noble Lord, Lord Borrie, but I think that I got the gist of what he was saying. We all agree that there is much too much legislation, particularly in the criminal field. This point has been made over and over again by successive Lord Chief Justices, and yet Governments of both sides fail to pay attention to what they say. Blackstone’s, the criminal justice book which I read, gets bigger every year, and soon will become completely unmanageable. This particular part of the Bill seems to be a very good example of legislation which might have a certain attraction—or might have had a certain attraction some years ago, if the noble Lord, Lord Rees-Mogg, is right—but by no stretch of the imagination could the proposals be described as necessary. I had grave doubts when we in this House were asked to consider the Proceeds of Crime Bill—but we did and we passed it. I have much graver doubts about the provisions of this Bill, because they are that much further removed from the crime itself. Yes, there is a problem, but it seems to me to be a tiny problem—a nut which is being cracked by this massive new piece of legislation. This is just the sort of legislation which we ought not to have now as a matter of principle. I give what support I can to the noble Lord, Lord Borrie.