Clause 11 - Obstruction etc. of officers
Health Bill
6:30 pm
Andrew Murrison (Shadow Minister, Health; Westbury, Conservative)
I hope that I am making my intentions more and more apparent and springing to my feet with greater and greater alacrity, despite the fact that we are nearly finished.
The clause is reasonably straightforward. It concerns the obstruction of officers, which we have dealt with to some extent. We are all worried about the possible effects of the Bill on those who are entrusted with its enforcement. That point is worth restating. My only other point is a question about subsection (4). Again, it brings us back to where we peg the offence on the standard scale. It is set at level 3. Can the Minister justify that, because it is fairly high? We do not seem to be talking necessarily about visiting physical violence on people, but merely being obstructive and, in other words, not being helpful. Some explanation of that would be helpful.