Terrorist Asset-Freezing (Temporary Provisions) Bill

I hope to touch on the question of judicial review later in my remarks, but there are three basic points to be made in response to the right hon. and learned Gentleman. First, the Government were relying on the United Nations Act 1946 in good faith. Before the Supreme Court passed judgment, it would not have helped our case to bring legislation forward that showed that we were worried about that or that we wanted to provide for a different legal basis. Secondly, that judgment having been passed, it is surely right for the Government to bring forward comprehensive legislation to deal with the problem that we are trying to solve. I personally do not think that such legislation should be whipped through the House. Even for a period as short as eight weeks, such proposals, if transposed into legislation, should benefit from Select Committee pre-legislative scrutiny and be subject to a review by Joint Committees, which would take a considerable period. However, because the Supreme Court did not grant a stay in its judgment, about £16,500 linked to about 14 people could, under the Terrorism Act 2006, suddenly be made available. My view was that the best strategy was to put in place temporary legislation to help ensure that the banks kept those assets frozen while the House was able to take the time to put on the statute book a more substantive answer to the Supreme Court's judgment.