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Racial and Religious Hatred Bill

I want to make one brief point. There seems to be a big problem with the Bill, as I have said on several occasions. There is a problem also with the Bill outside, which nobody has mentioned this time. We have had protests and newspaper articles; our postbags prove it. At Second Reading, the noble and learned Lord the Lord Chancellor said:"““it will not stop the telling of jokes about religion or the ridiculing of faith. It will not close down debate about religious beliefs or stop artists from dealing with religious subjects””.—[Official Report, 11/10/05; col. 163.]." Although he clearly believes that to be true, it is not written into the Bill. Surely the Government therefore cannot object to an amendment that would put it beyond doubt.