Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill

To answer the noble and learned Lord, Lord Mayhew, first, the evidence that I was talking about that can be used in the application was hearsay evidence. That is indirect evidence, as noble Lords well know. For example, a police officer has evidence from a number of individuals whom he has talked to. Normally, where he has evidence additionally from the Probation Service, prison services, local government and so on, he and those agencies will be allowed to be cross-examined but the individuals who have been spoken to will not be able to be cross-examined because they will probably not be willing to appear in court. That was what was meant. Clearly the police officers can be cross-examined. The prison services, probation services and all the other local government agencies can also be cross-examined in court as the matter is being investigated. That is how the magistrates will be able to come up with their conclusion. We all know of cases of mindless violence where people who have been identified as individuals who we should perhaps have been aware were a real danger to society have indeed gone on and killed people. Those cases are constantly being referred to in the media. This is aimed at stopping those things happening. It is not a case of three or four people in the local pub saying, ““We don’t like Billy””; ““Right, let’s get him””.