Clause 11 - Obstruction etc. of officers
Health Bill
6:30 pm
Caroline Flint (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department of Health; Don Valley, Labour)
The offence has been set at that level because it is in line with advice from the Home Office about other occasions when people obstruct the course of justice and refuse to comply by providing information. It is as straightforward as that. While I accept that we are not necessarily talking about a violent situation—although some comments have suggested that a huge amount of violence will be encountered in trying to enforce the Bill—regardless of an offence, whether it is violent or not, to obstruct the course of justice is a serious matter. We should therefore have parity with the levels that apply to the offence in other circumstances, particularly when someone is trying, in good faith, to carry out their responsibilities under the law.