---

Terrorism Bill

The Minister may or may not think that I am being helpful in what I am about to say. The purpose of asking for recommitment was not to delay the Bill for purely expedient reasons; it was to give the Minister the chance to discover a solution which was satisfactory to all sides of the Committee. The danger is that if we move to Report stage with the text of new amendments, with all the constraints that that implies, we may well end up with a vote on a matter which will create the kind of confrontation on the Bill which we all wish to avoid. Time spent in working one’s way through these amendments to find a satisfactory compromise will help the political process enormously, in my submission. It was in that spirit that I made my suggestion. If the Minister were to table amendments a considerable time before Report, if such negotiations that she suggested were able to take place and if there emerged a solution of the sort that I had hoped, it would not be necessary to seek recommitment. However, on behalf of the Opposition, I must say that if a situation arises such that we feel debating these issues at Report would be over-constraining, we shall seek recommitment.