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Justice and Security (Northern Ireland) Bill

The noble Baroness will not be surprised to hear that I disagree with almost everything she has just said. It is absolutely vital that we and the Government recover ourselves in relation to our intelligence services. They must be able to operate in the way they need to to protect us. In this country, Ireland, and, for that matter, most places in the world, we are all at higher risk from more sophisticated forms of terrorism than we have ever been including the whole of the Cold War. Our intelligence services being unable to work freely and competently through the lines they have for many years will undermine one of the key defences of this country. That simply has to be taken on board.