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Terrorism Bill

My Lords, having listened to this very interesting debate, it seems to me that there are two strands which need to be sewn together. I am sure the noble Lord, Lord Kingsland, is right when he says that, in reality, there will be very few prosecutions under the ““reckless”” heading. Equally, it seems absolutely clear that many perfectly innocent and worthy people—and, indeed, the noble Lord, Lord Rees-Mogg, as well—will be led into situations where they have to take, or feel they may have to take, enormous precautions or be subjected to enormous worry in perfectly innocent activities. In those circumstances, if the clause is going to be used extremely seldom, either it needs to go or, at the very least, the Government need to give categorical assurances that it will be used only against people who, in their view, are real terrorist criminals but who might be sheltering behind the slight difference between ““intent”” and ““recklessness””; and that it will not be used against people who cannot take, or do not have time to take, or, as the noble Lord, Lord Judd, said, do not realise that the circumstances require, precautions. This would alleviate the obvious and considerable worry that there is. It cannot be right for people to have that worry and to take all that trouble for a heading which, as the noble Lord, Lord Kingsland, said, will be used very seldom.