Coroners and Justice Bill

I am not the Minister defending such proceedings. However, national security involves relations with other nations, and the argument is that the Bill's definition of national security alone might not protect some of the exchanges of intelligence with other states' Governments that would involve matters of shared national security—theirs and this country's. That was the Government's reason for extending the provisions beyond the phrase "national security", but it is not my explanation. The first principle concerns whether there might be circumstances where there are protected matters that mean that a jury could not be empanelled in order for the inquest to proceed. I am fortified in coming to my conclusion rather than that of those who disagree with this by the fact that there are apparently, even today, inquests that are stalled because of such a situation. As we have heard, there have been two such instances in the past. It is true that in one of those cases the impasse has recently been resolved and the inquest is going to proceed, but the other one is still stalled. If there is already a case before we pass this law, it is within our contemplation that there could be cases in future.