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Justice and Security (Northern Ireland) Bill

With the Bill, it is important to be very specific about the powers that we are introducing, rather than running away with wider rhetoric. Yes, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State mentioned national security, but what he means—this is important in these deliberations—is that if a defendant has been charged with a serious offence in certain circumstances described in the Bill and the test is passed and if some specific intelligence about that defendant is a matter of great concern, obviously, the DPP should take that into account when making his decision. It is not a wide consideration of national security; it is a specific consideration in relation to that individual.