Prevention and Suppression of Terrorism

The hon. Gentleman will know—and my hon. Friend the Member for Hendon (Mr. Dismore), the Chair of the JCHR, is sat behind me—that I take human rights issues extremely seriously. I do not just dismiss them; they are important, and in this debate it is necessary for us to consider the interaction of national security versus the infringement of an individual's liberties. I quote the courts because, at the end of the day, that is why we have an independent judiciary. The hon. Gentleman says that I selectively quote, but the House of Lords will determine whether the Court of Appeal view of what the Government were doing is correct, and the ECHR judgment to which he has referred will inform that debate. We await with interest the outcome of that judgment in a few months' time. It would be remiss of me not to place on record the Government's thanks to Lord Carlile for yet another thorough report, which will, no doubt, inform today's debate. We will, of course, respond formally in due course, as we also will to the JCHR's most recent report on control orders, and I also thank my hon. Friend the Member for Hendon and his Committee for that report and the speed with which it managed to produce it, in time for this debate. Lord Carlile continues to view control orders as""a largely effective necessity for a small number of cases"." He further notes:""The control order system as operated currently in its non-derogating form is a justifiable and proportional safety valve for the proper protection of civil society."" That view is shared by the other two statutory consultees: the intelligence services commissioner and the director general of the Security Service. We currently face a threat from terrorism that is sustained and indiscriminate. We need to protect the public while ensuring that our fundamental rights and values are safeguarded. Control orders are by no means the whole answer to dealing with the threat we face, but they are an important part of our overall approach. The risk to the public would increase were the Act not to be renewed. I commend the order to the House.