Terrorism Bill

I just want to tease a little more out of the Minister on this—[Interruption.] I do not want to tease the Minister; I simply want him to understand the important point that is being made. I am clear about the Government’s intentions regarding the clause, which the Minister knows that we support. However, we must consider the clause’s current wording. If, for the purpose of argument, we excise subsection (1)(a) from the clause, it reads:"““A person commits an offence if, with the intention of . . . assisting another to commit such acts, he engages in any conduct in preparation for giving effect to his intention.””" The person’s intention is thus assisting another person to commit such acts, rather than direct involvement, as the Minister suggested. The conduct that would be required to commit an offence would simply be conduct in preparation for giving effect to that intention. Although the clause—inadvertently, I think—goes wider than intended, that does not cause me great difficulty and would not stop me from supporting it. However, it will be necessary to consider the measure again on Report, including in the context of the definition of terrorism.