[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (Mike Tapp): ... I commit to take any outstanding questions away, including on the case that the hon. Member for Cheadle [Tom Morrison] raised [establishing a dedicated injury in service award to formally recognise and honour the extraordinary sacrifice of emergency service workers injured in the line of duty]. The first point to make is that the Home Office is well aware of the proposal under discussion. Senior officials have spoken many times to leaders of the campaign; indeed, the previous Minister for Policing met a number of them to hear their thoughts on this important matter. My understanding of the situation is that work continues to identify whether a medal is the best method of recognising emergency services workers who are injured as a result of their duties, and whether it is viable. …]

Sir Julian Lewis rose –

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Ms Nusrat Ghani): Order. Before Sir Julian Lewis makes his intervention and the Minister responds, I remind the House that “you” and “your” are not permitted. Let us stay focused.]

Sir Julian Lewis: I have listened carefully to the whole debate [Injury in Service Award], and I thoroughly support the proposal. From the Minister’s summing up, it sounds as if the decision is more in the hands of civil servants than in those of Ministers. May I gently point out to him that civil servants are never remiss when it comes to awarding themselves all sorts of decorations and recognition? Here, it is more a question that the feeling of the House has made itself heard, and it really ought to be conveyed to those people to whom this task appears to have been delegated that they ought to do what they have been told by the elected representatives of the people of this country.

[Gallery applause]

[Mike Tapp: I thank the right hon. Gentleman for the spirit of his question. I reassure the House and those in the Gallery that the Policing Minister is a Minister who has authority. We saw that in the past week with the scrapping of police and crime commissioners – something that is well overdue. That came well and truly from the Minister, but of course she will have heard these words today. … ]