Serious Crime Bill [HL]

Murder is a separate category: if you are convicted of murder, it is a very serious offence, you are taken out of the frame, you are unlikely to be in a position where you can be reconvicted. That is not the same with other serious offences such as, for instance, armed robbery and robberies conducted using a dangerous weapon. I take issue—in a sense, the House took issuewith itself because there was considerable debateon the Benches opposite—on the argument about environmental offences. I agree with the noble Baroness, Lady Carnegy of Lour, and the noble Earl, Lord Mar and Kellie—although he has not spoken in this debate, we have been told what his views are.I agree with the noble Lord, Lord Dear, that environmental offences are very serious. That is precisely why they are in the schedule. I have thought very carefully about this issue. People are nowcoming to the view that environmental offences are increasingly serious. Only this week, we brought forward a climate control Bill. That underlines the point.