Publications

SoS renewal of part vii of Terrorism Act

I understand that you have laid in Parliament an order to renew the temporary Northern
Ireland powers contained in Part VII of the Terrorism Act 2000. In so doing you have
relied upon the report of Lord Alex Carlile into the operation of those provisions during
2001. I further understand that the order was approved in the House of Commons on
Monday 11 February. Unfortunately we had no notice of that and were unable to signify to
you or to MPs in time our disquiet over the renewal order. We are today making our views
known to some members of the House of Lords, since we believe the order is to be
considered there tomorrow.

The Human Rights Commission wishes to advise you that in its view many of the
provisions in question should not be renewed. We have come to this conclusion
notwithstanding the continuing threat from terrorists in Northern Ireland, although we are
conscious that we may not be as well informed as we should be on this matter since the
limitations on our powers precludes us from gaining access, even on a confidential basis,
to many of the documents and opinions which are made available to Lord Carlile. Once
again I feel that the Commission’s effectiveness in advising you on important issues is
jeopardised by the reluctance of some government agencies to co-operate fully with our
inquiries.

secretary-state-renewal-of-part-vii-of-terrorism-act-2000-february-2002.pdf