---

Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill

My Lords, I am grateful to noble Lords who have spoken in support of the amendment. I am indeed disappointed by the Minister's response, but it seems to me that he has accepted that applications of this sort fall within paragraph 5, and that is on the record. I am disappointed that means tests come into a case of this nature; it seems to me utterly heartless that it should be like that, particularly when the noble and learned Baroness, Lady Butler-Sloss, has pointed out how difficult those cases are. They are heart-rending for the people concerned and for the judge who has to try such issues, not to mention all those who are involved in presenting evidence. I shall not press the matter, but I register my view that the Government ought to have taken a more generous view on this small number of cases. Amendment 47 withdrawn. Amendment 48 Moved by