Campaigns

FIGHTING AGAINST TERRORISM

I am determined that we should counter terrorism and believe that there is an inadequacy of control orders on terrorists.  During a recent debate in the House of Commons, I questioned the Home Secretary about this.

I pointed out that at least one of the people involved in the attempted atrocities in London and Glasgow was subject to a control order and that they were one of several people in that category who had absconded.  I expressed my concern that British courts tend to interpret the Human Rights Act 1998 in a different way from their counterparts elsewhere in Europe, particularly in France and pointed out that even when there was a prospect of deporting people to a jurisdiction that was prepared to guarantee that they would not be subject to torture or the death sentence, it was still not carried out.

I told the Home Secretary that there was a need for consistency in how such multinational legislation was interpreted and asked if the Government would take steps to ensure consistency of interpretation across signatories to the European Convention on Human Rights.

 The Home Secretary, however, refused to comment on the nature of those involved in the recent incidents but said that she was prepared to look at control orders.