8 November 2005
MP
MALCOLM MOSS SPEAKS ON THE TERRORISM BILL
Malcolm
Moss welcomed Tony Blair’s “sunset clause” as
the only way forward for the proposed Terrorism
Bill, which seeks to give police the power to
hold terror suspects for up to 90 days
detention.
He said
national security was obviously a gravely
important issue and he voted in support of the
Bill at its Second Reading (contrary to some
spurious press reports). The votes last week –
when the government won one division by a
majority of only one –were actually on
amendments to improve the legislation. He felt
the Bill was badly drafted and not properly
thought through.
“I am
concerned about allowing 90 days detention
without trial, because this is a quantum leap
from the present 14 days. Where did this figure
come from? Why not 60 days or even 120? So far
the police have not provided any concrete
evidence that this is absolutely the right
figure. I am in favour of increasing the time
limit and will scrutinise the various options
before coming to a decision. I am also concerned
that the legislation could be open to abuse, and
so it really needs to be looked at most
scrupulously to order to have the confidence of
Parliament as well as the public.
“At the
eleventh hour Tony Blair, as usual, has thrown a
lifeline to his backbenchers in the form of a
“sunset clause”, which means that the
legislation falls after say a year and has to be
re-ratified by Parliament. I am very much in
favour of that comfort zone, but why it couldn’t
be there at the very start only he knows?”
