Emergency Workers (Protection) Bill

The aim is to address such incidents when they happen, and, more importantly, to stop them happening in the first place. That is much more difficult and requires a major educative programme, which I would the Government to introduce. I hope the Minister will give some reassurances on that. Where the Government and I differed—here I shall delight the right hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Mr. Forth), who finds himself in an unusual alliance—was on the issue of assault. I accept that there is legislation that should and would provide for the same penalties as the Bill envisages. The problem is that it is used either rarely or not at all. The other emergency services see that the police have separate legislation embodying the same sentences and that cases involving the police are taken through to successful prosecution and sentencing, whereas the fire brigades and ambulance services have difficulty with such cases. That is why we are asking for a separate Act. This is where I shall destroy the weekend of the right hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst. The Government and I had discussions, and they made it clear that there is a sticking point for them, so enamoured are they of the argument made by the right hon. Gentleman. There is a sticking point to the extent that I could have lost the whole Bill—