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Terrorist Asset-Freezing (Temporary Provisions) Bill

My Lords, I have Amendment 11A in this group and, as the noble Baroness, Lady Hamwee, explained, my amendment is similar to Amendment 8, which the noble Baroness has just moved. I take as my starting point that this Bill is far from perfect. It legitimises three orders with the barest minimum of parliamentary scrutiny. We have had no real opportunity to consider the substance of the orders, despite the valiant efforts of those on the Liberal Democrat Benches in seeking to get some of those issues debated. We are resigned to an imperfect emergency legislative solution to the problem of the Supreme Court’s decision, and we have to await a proper Bill to replace it, but I do not believe that means that Parliament’s involvement in the Bill should end. In the draft legislation contained in the Command Paper issued last week, as the noble Baroness, Lady Hamwee, pointed out, Clause 24 sets out the requirement for a quarterly report. A quarterly report, or indeed any report, to Parliament cannot remedy deficiencies in the Act itself, but it is a useful way of reminding Parliament about legislation which can be used to interfere with the rights and liberties of individuals. It is also a useful way of reminding the Executive that they are accountable to Parliament. My Amendment 11A mirrors Clause 24, somewhat more exactly than the amendment of the noble Baroness, Lady Hamwee, with the one exception that she has already pointed out; namely, that it calls for a monthly rather than a quarterly report. The reason for this is simple. This temporary provisions Bill can last only until the end of the year, and will, I hope, be gone sometime before that. In that circumstance, we believe that while the imposition of a monthly report might add a bit to the workload of the Treasury, that is a tiny matter when weighed against the civil liberties issues on the other side of the balance, because we are keeping in place a Bill which many of us regard as imperfect. Amendment 8, in the name of the noble Baroness, Lady Hamwee, goes a little beyond the draft clause, as she explained, and I have no problem with the changes that the Liberal Democrats propose. I hope that I have explained why, even within the context of her amendment, a monthly frequency would be better. I hope that the Government can see that these are reasonable amendments, in the context of this Bill, which has an unsatisfactory legislative solution to a problem. The amendment would not upset the scheme of the emergency Bill, but it would go some way to putting Parliament back where it should be, which is reviewing the practical impact of legislation on the lives of individuals. I hope that the Government will seriously consider accepting either my amendment or that of the noble Baroness, Lady Hamwee, or be prepared to come back later this evening with a version of their own. I find it difficult to support the other amendment in this group. I do not believe that this Bill, when it is an Act, will be in force long enough to make a review of the Act a worthwhile proposition, so I do not think that would be a sensible use of resources, going forward.