Covert Human Intelligence Sources (Criminal Conduct) Bill

The Minister knows how seriously I take these matters and the equipping of our security services ...

I hope I will be able to respond to the hon. Gentleman during my speech, underlining some of the ...

The Minister has reeled off an impressive number of statistics, which justify the use of CHIS ope...

The right hon. Gentleman is drawing me on to talk about some of those wider bodies. I will addres...

We have had discussions on the points of concern to me, and my right hon. Friend has given answer...

I am grateful to my right hon. Friend for his intervention. Again, I intend to draw out this poin...

rose—

rose—

I will give way twice more and then get into some of the important details that I know right hon....

The point surely is that as well as proportionality and necessity, the Bill is particular about s...

I am grateful to my right hon. Friend for that point. The issue of specifici—I cannot even say it...

I hear what my right hon. Friend says about the Human Rights Act, but the defence that the Govern...

I know that my right hon. Friend, rightly, takes these issues incredibly seriously. The issues we...

Will the Minister give way before he moves on?

I would quite like to answer the previous intervention before I give way again, and I need to mak...

On the point that the Minister just made in relation to the Human Rights Act, proposed new sectio...

The hon. Gentleman makes an interesting point. Some may argue that the inclusion of those words w...

Will the Minister give way?

If the hon. Lady will allow me, I will make some further progress, but I will allow her to interv...

Can the Minister explain one difference between the situation that has applied in the past and th...

The right hon. Gentleman, the Chair of the Intelligence and Security Committee, makes an importan...

One of the problems that the Government have today is that, for those of us who like the red meat...

I will come on to that issue—this is why, although I wanted to give way to many Members, I wanted...

rose—

I will give way to the hon. Lady, who has been very patient.

The Minister has talked about practices that are already permitted, but does he appreciate that t...

The hon. Lady makes a serious point. First, there is no retrospective effect—it is quite importan...

On the previous intervention, there are real concerns about women who are seeking legal redress f...

I can certainly say that there are clearly ongoing inquiries in relation to this important and se...

Does the Minister agree that sexual assault and rape are clearly prohibited by article 3 of the H...

Obviously there is the specific reference on the face of the Bill that I have alluded to, and the...

rose—

I will give way one last time and then make further progress.

I thank the Minister; he is being very generous. He has been clear that sexual assaults on women ...

I have drawn out the separate regime that operates in relation to the authorisation of, for examp...

I am listening very carefully to what the Minister is saying, but will he be clear? This is all p...

I have been pretty clear about the way this Bill operates and the manner in which agencies and th...

What my right hon. Friend has described is, in effect, a wish not to provide a terrorist checklis...

I am happy to respond to that point specifically. We are not suggesting that there is routine tes...

Does my right hon. Friend agree that the independent commissioner, established under the 2016 Act...

Yes, and I am grateful to my right hon. Friend for making that point. With his experience as a fo...

Will the Minister give way?

I will give way, but this is probably the last time as I am conscious of time and of getting othe...

In the 2018 report by the Investigatory Powers Commissioner, one of the issues that raised concer...

The right hon. Lady makes an important point about training and about ensuring that the high stan...

Will the Minister give way?

I am very conscious that I am now eating into the time of others who may wish to speak, so I will...

rose—

On that note, I give way to the Chair of the Home Affairs Committee.

I am very grateful to the Minister, who has been very generous with his time. Clearly he makes th...

Obviously, we will have continued debate during the passage of the Bill. I believe that it provid...

I am grateful to my right hon. Friend, who is being generous. At what level will the original aut...

I have responded to the latter point on the judgment that we have made in relation to this regime...

Will the Minister allow me, before he finishes?

I will, for one final time, then I will wrap up.

I am extremely grateful. He mentioned the armed forces very briskly there. Could he clarify why t...

My hon. Friend highlights one particular aspect of the role of the Ministry of Defence. It is dif...

I am grateful to the Minister for his opening speech, and for his briefings and approach to this ...

Does the hon. Gentleman agree that Members of this House, when considering this Bill, should take...

I of course welcome the oversight that has been introduced for our intelligence services; the sit...

As a member of the Intelligence and Security Committee, I have seen how the security services con...

I was relieved to have the reassurance that my right hon. Friend’s experience did not involve him...

Does the hon. Gentleman agree that, by not specifying in terms, the Government are inviting a cha...

The right hon. Gentleman is absolutely right. If the Bill does not have those safeguards on its f...

In its legal adjudication on the third direction earlier this year, a majority on the Investigato...

The right hon. Gentleman refers to the Investigatory Powers Commissioner, an issue to which I wil...

My hon. Friend is making an excellent speech. I understand that one of the filings that the Gover...

I agree entirely with my hon. Friend, both on the Canada model and on the point, which I put to t...

The Government should not rest too hard on an IPT judgment. It is normal in these intelligence ov...

No, and the right hon. Gentleman illustrates precisely the point I am making. That is why the pos...

I also declare an interest: a member of my family was blacklisted. This concern is not confined t...

I am grateful for the right hon. Gentleman’s support in that matter, and I am happy that the Mini...

From listening to the arguments that have been made, it strikes me that the Bill is presumably in...

I certainly would never use divisive rhetoric about those before our courts who are protecting pe...

I am going to start with a time limit of nine minutes, which is advisory. I put on a time limit o...

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. I shall endeavour to set a good example.

Both Front Benche...

Allow me to begin by placing on the record my party’s gratitude to the agencies covered by the Bi...

I thank we all understand and agree that keeping the public safe often means difficult decisions,...

I thank the hon. Lady for that intervention. She makes a number of important points, and we will ...

I am following with interest what the hon. Gentleman has to say, and, unusually, though he is an ...

I thank the right hon. Gentleman for that intervention, and he makes the point very elegantly. If...

I would like to put on record my thanks to all those who serve in our security agencies—they keep...

I am very pleased to be called this evening to make a short contribution in this Second Reading d...

I am in awe of the constant, cold courage of those who run huge risks for us as covert human inte...

It is a pleasure to take part in this debate, Madam Deputy Speaker, and I am grateful to be calle...

Order. I hope that the hon. Gentleman will be very careful about matters to which he refers and i...

I hope you appreciate, Madam Deputy Speaker, that not only do I agree entirely with you but I hav...

Order. Just to confirm, I am certain that the hon. Gentleman has no intention of saying anything ...

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. The point that I was making has been made, so I see no need to r...

On 12 February 1989, the solicitor Pat Finucane was shot 14 times as he sat down for dinner with ...

In the fast-moving electronic age that we live in, I think there is a misunderstanding that someh...

With regard to the appropriate checks and balances and the need for authorisation to be proportio...

The hon. Gentleman raises a good point about proportionality, which is key. Clearly the authorisi...

I support the Bill, and I congratulate the Security Minister on bringing his practical knowledge ...

It is a pleasure to follow the right hon. Member for York Outer (Julian Sturdy), who made a chara...

It is a pleasure to follow the right hon. Member for Orkney and Shetland (Mr Carmichael) and my r...

I appreciate the contribution that my hon. Friend, the Chair of the Justice Committee, is making ...

I understand the spirit in which my right hon. Friend makes that point. I suspect that many of th...

Is not another factor that comes into play after necessity and proportionality human nature? It i...

To my shame, I was once instructed to prosecute a list of television licence enforcements in the ...

I welcome plans to place these activities on a statutory footing. I doubt that any of us can feel...

It is a great pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Birmingham, Selly Oak (Steve McCabe) and to ...

Like others, while acknowledging that regulation of covert human intelligence sources should be o...

Madam Deputy Speaker, thank you for calling me to speak in this important debate. Like many other...

I am sorry, but the hon. Lady obviously does not know the way in which covert agents are working....

I take the point, but I believe that under the HRA a prosecution cannot currently be brought, so ...

Will the hon. Lady give way?

I will make progress. This legislation seeks to allow the state legally to act with impunity in i...

Following the hon. Member for Poplar and Limehouse (Apsana Begum) reminds me of how much we miss ...

Like my right hon. Friend, I fully support the Bill going through. He mentioned the Daesh-inspire...

That is certainly true, as my hon. Friend will know that I was once responsible for overseeing th...

It is an honour to follow the right hon. Member for South Holland and The Deepings (Sir John Haye...

I agree that explaining the Bill to the public is very difficult. We therefore need to have the s...

That is a very fair point, which we have discussed to a considerable degree. None the less, there...

Does the right hon. Member agree that it is all well and good having oversight after the effect, ...

Professional intent, although very laudable in certain circumstances, in this instance could well...

It is a great pleasure to follow the right hon. Member for Dwyfor Meirionnydd (Liz Saville Robert...

I wonder whether the right hon. Lady agrees that the Bill is partly about enabling self-restraint...

The hon. Gentleman could argue that point from completely the opposite side, because by in some w...

As I am making the final Back-Bench speech, I will not be taking any interventions—apologies.

Will the hon. Lady give way?

I must make progress.

This Bill marks the latest step in a frightening descent into authori...

It is a pleasure to close the debate on behalf of the Opposition. The serious and sombre tone of ...

I appreciate the hon. Gentleman’s comments and, indeed, the tone of his contribution, but he must...

The right hon Gentleman makes a very fair point. I completely appreciate that and have taken into...

Will my hon. Friend give way?

My hon. Friend is doing very well. He has been in the Chamber for only 20 minutes and this is his...

I did apply to speak, but I was refused by the Speaker’s Office, so I have been listening to the ...

Order. The hon. Gentleman said that he had been refused permission to speak by the Speaker’s Offi...

Sorry, Madam Deputy Speaker, I did not mean to start a discussion with the Speaker’s Office. My h...

Let me start by thanking colleagues across the House for the constructive way in which Members ha...

While dealing with safeguards and scrutiny, can my right hon. and learned Friend confirm that the...

Yes I can, and I will come to that point in a moment.

I have been listening to the views ex...