Public Protection

The answer is that such judgments are very difficult, but existing mental health legislation allows us to make them in some cases. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health will introduce carefully prepared legislation on that matter later this year, and I hope that it will provide the protection mentioned by my hon. Friend. The 2003 Act contains a power indefinitely to detain people who are a danger to the public, which also relates to his point. The core point is that we must acknowledge the difficulty of identifying the people who really pose a risk. We should not imply that that task is easy or routine, because it is exceptionally difficult and demands professionalism from those involved. We must encourage and support that professionalism and learn how better to conduct the task.