---

Human Rights

The hon. Gentleman is spot on, as he is on so many occasions. Our database is the biggest in the world, with 50 times as many registrations as the French database, because we have defined it that way. I wish to examine the context in which the Human Rights Act operates. The answer to the question of whether it helps to protect our citizens from ill-thought-out authoritarian legislation is manifestly ““no””. As for the question of whether it acts as a restraining influence on the Government’s illiberal tendencies, I submit that it certainly does not do so. Of course, the Act has resulted in some positive outcomes, including those mentioned by the Minister. I would add the decision whereby the right of an elderly married couple not to be kept apart in separate care homes was upheld. However, that is common sense, and it should never have been a problem in the first place. We welcome the right of families of the deceased to be represented at coroners’ inquests. The Human Rights Act has had positive outcomes, but does it help or hinder the fight against crime and terrorism? Does it help to bring criminals and terrorists to justice? Unfortunately, in our judgment, the answer is ““no””. The Assets Recovery Agency, for example, was forced to spend millions of pounds fighting legal challenges brought by criminals under the Human Rights Act, thus ensuring that many cases are bogged down for years. The backlog in the courts has grown, with 146 incomplete claims. The agency’s director has directly blamed the human rights ““bandwagon”” for thwarting efforts to recover assets.