The only person I have met resembling a character from "Yes, Minister" is somebody who either is or was the head of a university. I will not be more specific than that. I recall a Cabinet Secretary whom I affectionately sometimes thought of as Polonius, but not as Sir Humphrey. I also remember a civil servant telling me when our esteemed leader – I am not referring to Senator O'Rourke – was absent, that politics was too important for politicians. However, the difference between Sir Humphrey and the senior civil servants behind this Bill is that the former wanted to stop things being done. In my experience, most civil servants want to see things done and get enormous satisfaction from this. The vast majority of senior civil servants should not be portrayed as Sir Humphreys, or the female equivalent, because they are no such thing.