Clause 79 - Defences to liability under section 78
Serious Organised Crime and Police Bill
3:00 pm
Ms Caroline Flint (Parliamentary Under-Secretary (reducing organised and international crime, anti drugs co-ordination and international and European issues), Home Office; Don Valley, Labour)
My understanding is that when someone is put under a witness protection programme the protection needs of their immediate family and the people with whom they share or have shared a household would be assessed too. It would therefore be logical to assume that even if the prime person in the case died, the risk assessment would be made for those others.
I am informed that ''person'' in subsection (3)(b) continues to be associated with P, even though P is dead, therefore protection of that person continues. That is a rather legalistic way of saying what I think I just said. As we set out, close family members and acquaintances who would be part of the protection arrangements will be considered, and that should not be affected by the death of the prime person. There would have to be a risk assessment and, if necessary, protection would have to continue.