Emergency Workers (Protection) Bill

My hon. Friend is right. That is one reason for this Government introducing powers to appeal against unduly lenient sentences, which were not previously available to the prosecution. That is an important way to build public confidence in our legal system. I assure the House that we will work with the Sentencing Guidelines Council to ensure that, in formulating the relevant aggravating factors for offences of violence, the council is aware, specifically, of the harm that an attack on an emergency worker can do, and that in responding to an emergency, even a short delay can endanger the lives of emergency workers and specifically endanger also the lives of the people to whom they are responding—there may be only a few minutes in which to reach them. We will ensure that the Sentencing Guidelines Council is aware of the suggestion made many times in this debate—I am inclined to send it a copy of Hansard—that the guidelines should mention that specifically. Let us be clear. If a sentencer intends to depart from a sentencing guideline, they must explain in open court why they are not taking that factor into account. This is not merely something that exists in a bench book—it is clear guidance that a sentencer needs to implement. If the specific nature of an emergency worker responding to an emergency is included as a particularly aggravating factor in the guidelines on violent crime—we want to encourage the Sentencing Guidelines Council to do that—the sentencer must reflect that aggravation in the sentence that they hand down. If they do not intend to do so, they need to explain why in court. I do not believe that all hon. Members were aware that the process works as specifically as that, and I think that they will be reassured. We all want to achieve the aim that sentencing properly reflects the seriousness of this matter.