Coroners and Justice Bill

I thank those noble Lords who have taken part in this brief debate, not least my hero, the noble and learned Lord, Lord Woolf. With regard to the membership of the council, I am not entirely surprised by the Government’s response, except to say that I understand about the essential need for data but, as I have pointed out, there will be an academic listed in this membership, the stuff of whose business is dealing with data; they know about it better than anyone. A broad statistician will not bring with him or her the same kind of focus and expertise that an academic will when it comes to looking at data relevant to the work of the council. My suggestion was not intended to remove that skill but to remind the Minister that there will already be someone on the list who will have a kind of augmented skill. The Minister has rejected the notion that someone with experience of working with the media should be included in the Bill. However, I am glad that those skills are now at least to be considered as pertinent, relevant and—dare I say it?—important to the work of the membership of the council. Sooner or later we, the Government or someone else will have to bow to the inevitable; unless and until such skills are incorporated into the remarkable skills of the body that is being set up, this will continue to be a crucial, difficult and sensitive area. I am grateful to the Minister for accepting my second amendment. It is terribly important for the criteria to be used for prisons, youth custody and community-based provision alike. Offenders have to be treated under the same heading and should not be approached differently. That is a positive move. I said that I was going to speak to Amendment 89A separately, but I thought it was bang in the middle of this group. I had hoped that it would be possible to look at it separately, and I hope that is still in order. I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment 80A withdrawn. Amendment 80B not moved. Amendment 81 Moved by