Formal Minutes
Tuesday 9 March 2010
Members present:
Mr Andrew Dismore MP, in the Chair
| Lord Bowness
Lord Dubs
Baroness Falkner of Margravine
Lord Morris of Handsworth
The Earl of Onslow
| Dr Evan Harris MP
Mr Virendra Sharma MP
|
*******
Draft Report (Counter-Terrorism
Policy and Human Rights (Seventeenth Report): Bringing Human Rights
Back In), proposed by the Chairman, brought up and read.
Ordered,
That the draft Report be read a second time, paragraph by paragraph.
Paragraphs 1 to 36 read and agreed
to.
A paragraph—(Dr Evan Harris
MP)—brought up and read, as follows:
"The continued failure
of the Government to answer these questions, or to publish the
guidance to the Intelligence Services on the detention and interrogation
of suspects overseas, leads us to believe that the Government
is seeking to hide activity and policies - past and/or present
- which amount to or may amount to complicity in torture."
Question put, That the paragraph
be read a second time.
The Committee divided
Content, 1
Dr Evan Harris MP
| Not Content, 4
Lord Bowness
Mr Andrew Dismore MP
Lord Dubs
Lord Morris of Handsworth
|
Paragraphs 37 to 41 agreed to.
Another paragraph—(Dr
Evan Harris MP)—brought up and read, as follows:
"We conclude that while
the Government holds this view, it has explicitly failed to establish
that it is not, or its agencies are not, complicit in torture."
Question put, That the paragraph
be read a second time.
The Committee divided
|
Content, 1
Dr Evan Harris MP
| Not Content, 5
Lord Bowness
Mr Andrew Dismore MP
Lord Dubs
Lord Morris of Handsworth
The Earl of Onslow
|
Paragraphs 42 to 47 agreed to.
Another paragraph—(Dr
Evan Harris MP)—brought up and read, as follows:
"In the absence of even
a semblance of a convincing justification for keeping the guidance
secret, we have no alternative but to conclude that the guidance
provides evidence and perhaps proof that the Government, and/or
its agencies, were complicit in torture. If the Government denies
this, it should publish the guidance, or provide a convincing
justification for not publishing it."
Question put, That the paragraph
be read a second time.
The Committee divided
|
Content, 2
Dr Evan Harris MP
The Earl of Onslow
| Not Content, 4
Lord Bowness
Mr Andrew Dismore MP
Lord Dubs
Lord Morris of Handsworth
|
Paragraphs 48 to 87 agreed to.
Paragraph 88.
Amendment proposed, in line 3,
after "determine" to insert ", taking
into account in each case the issue of public safety that the
Government cites as a basis for its blanket policy of denying
bail in terrorism cases".—(Dr Evan Harris MP.)
Question put, That the amendment
be made.
The Committee divided
|
Content, 1
Dr Evan Harris MP
| Not Content, 5
Lord Bowness
Mr Andrew Dismore MP
Lord Dubs
Lord Morris of Handsworth
The Earl of Onslow
|
Paragraph agreed to.
Paragraphs 89 to 122 agreed to.
Summary agreed to.
Resolved,
That the Report be the Sixteenth Report of the Committee to each
House.
Ordered, That the Chairman make
the Report to the House of Commons and that Lord Dubs make the
Report to the House of Lords.
Written evidence reported and ordered
to be published on 12 January was ordered to be reported to the
House for printing with the Report
*******
[The Committee adjourned.
| 
