Written question asked by Lord Hylton (Crossbench), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord West of Spithead (Labour) on Thursday, 2 April 2009.

Terrorism

Question: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will commission a review of the processes for listing and de-listing terrorist groups and individuals and for imposing sanctions, nationally and by the European Union and United Nations.

Answer: The processes involved in the UK proscription of terrorist organisations are reviewed by Lord Carlile as part of his annual review into the operation of the Terrorism Act 2000. In his latest report, issued in June 2008, he described the proscription processes as "generally efficient and fair". These processes are additionally kept under internal review to ensure they remain proportionate and effective. The domestic processes for asset freezing found in the Terrorism (United Nations Measures) Order 2006 are kept under review by the Treasury to ensure that these remain proportionate and effective. Part 6 of the Counter-Terrorism Act 2008 recently strengthened these processes by making provision for rules of court to govern challenges to asset freezing decisions, including providing for special advocates and closed hearings where the underlying information cannot be disclosed to the designated party for reasons of national security. The UK is committed to improving current listing and delisting procedures in the EU and the UN, as well as the provision of information to designees. The UK is currently exploring a range of proposals for reform of the UN regime in particular. We will explore these proposals with our international partners in the coming months.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 2434; 709 c290WA
Session: 2008-09
Subjects: European Union Proscribed organisations Terrorism United Nations Sanctions
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk