Serious Crime Bill [Lords]

To reinforce my hon. Friend’s argument and to close down, I hope, the suggestion that the assistant commissioner’s remarks were somehow off the cuff, Assistant Commissioner Hayman’s remarks were specifically endorsed by the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Sir Ian Blair, who reported recently to the Metropolitan Police Authority in exactly the same terms. I am sure that my hon. Friend is also aware that there is an increasing feeling among the police and other agencies that a sensible approach to the public interest immunity regime would be an adequate means of dealing with the safeguards. I appreciate that my hon. Friend may want to look at this issue in Committee, but does he agree that, increasingly, the leaders in British policing recognise that this is an appropriate way forward?