Lord Davies of Gower (Con)

My Lords, Amendment 441E, standing in my name, was brought about after the recent case of Mark Hehir. Mr Hehir was the bus driver who courageously took it upon himself to assist one of his passengers who was the victim of theft. He chased down the offender and apprehended him. In an attempt to protect his passengers and members of the public, Mr Hehir placed himself at real risk. His actions should be applauded, yet Mr Hehir was fired for his actions. The public agree, and a petition in support of Mr Hehir now has 147,000 signatories, demonstrating the widespread view that those who protect others should be commended and supported, not left vulnerable to professional or personal consequences. Amendment 441E would go some way to addressing the divergence between what should have happened to Mr Hehir and the unfortunate reality. It seeks to amend the Employment Rights Act 1996 so that employers may not act against their employees where those employees have acted in instances to prevent crime or bring about the lawful arrest of offenders. Should the Minister choose to reject this amendment, what steps will the Government take to rectify Mr Hehir’s regrettable situation specifically? What proposals are they minded to take to ensure that no similar instances arise again?