Clause 13 - Extraneous considerations

Part of Extradition Bill – in a Public Bill Committee am 5:00 pm ar 9 Ionawr 2003.

Danfonwch hysbysiad imi am ddadleuon fel hyn

Photo of Bob Ainsworth Bob Ainsworth The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department 5:00, 9 Ionawr 2003

Clearly we are missing each other. We can sometimes become amused during parliamentary proceedings.

Opposition Members have argued repeatedly—on Second Reading, in scrutiny Committees and in Committee now—that we cannot trust foreign jurisdictions to treat people correctly when we extradite them. At the behest of the Joint Committee on Human Rights, we made provision to deal with the problem, but Opposition Members do not like it and do not want it in the Bill. It is all very strange, as is praying in aid the Ramda case, in which someone is being sought in connection with allegations of terrorism. The hon. Member for Stratford-on-Avon has repeatedly said that he does not care about safeguards when it comes to terrorists: he is concerned only in respect of other sorts of criminality. It is rather confusing.

The truth is that we would be criticised whether or not we included the provision. If we had not included it, hon. Gentlemen would have said that foreign jurisdictions could not be trusted not to mistreat people. So we put the safeguard in and, lo and behold, they stand up and say, ''Isn't it appalling? This safeguard is in the Bill, so doesn't the fact that you have included it prove that it is necessary?'' I am delighted by such contributions.