Joanna Tuffy (Labour)

I thank the Minister for his Second Stage contribution. I agree with him that the Bill which is long-awaited is badly needed. Much of relates to a 1978 report. I welcome broadly the provisions to address the limits in the present law. It is important to modernise the legislation. I welcome the fitness to be tried provision and, in particular, the "not guilty, by reason of insanity" verdict to replace "guilty but insane", and also the new provision for diminished responsibility. It is important that judges are not left in a position where they have to send a defendant to an inappropriate place because of limitations in the law. There are examples of where the judges' options are limited as regards defendants and they are actually sending them to inappropriate centres of detention.