Prevention of Terrorism Act

I was using the word ““consolidation”” in a broad sense and perhaps too loosely in my statement. I can confirm that my intention is in accordance with what the hon. Gentleman is saying, that is to look at the situation in the round and get a clear position on the statute book. I cannot agree with his attacks on the European convention on human rights and the Human Rights Act 1998. That has been an important development in many ways. Neither can I accept that the role of the judiciary somehow stands against the protection of the public. The rule of law in this country is dependent on the independence of the judiciary and how it operates in deciding how to protect individual liberties. That being so, there are serious issues about the interpretation of the ECHR and some of the court judgments. We have asked for certain issues to be reconsidered by the court, for example the Chahal judgment in relation to these matters. We have joined various other actions in those regards. I am not saying that there is nothing in what the hon. Gentleman is saying, but it would be a grave mistake to set the judiciary as the opponent to the protection of the public because that is not true. It would be a grave mistake, too, to say that human rights should not be at the core of our approach. As the hon. Gentleman rightly says, the balancing issues are complicated and difficult and that is precisely what Parliament will have to assess when we look at the legislation.