HL Deb 13 November 2003 vol 654 cc1604-5
Lord Goldsmith

My Lords, on behalf of my noble friend Lady Scotland, I beg to move.

Moved, That the draft order laid before the House on 29th October be approved [30th Report from the Joint Committee].—(Lord Goldsmith.)

Baroness Blatch had given notice of her intention to move, as an amendment to the above Motion, to leave out all the words after "That" and insert "this House declines to approve the draft order laid before the House on 29th October".

The noble Baroness said: My Lords, I wish to say just a few words on this order. We are closely watching the Home Office and its statements today about the concerns we have expressed. Those concerns will apparently be addressed in the coming months. We look forward to something perhaps in the gracious Speech. We hope that something will happen between June and July of next year. However, I put it on the record that if we have an opportunity and there is no activity from the Home Office, we will resort to a Private Member's Bill to amend the primary Act.

[Amendment not moved.]

Lord Lester of Herne Hill had given notice of his intention to move, as an amendment to the Motion, at end to insert "and this House calls upon Her Majesty's Government to lay a new draft order containing effective safeguards to ensure that communications data retained pursuant to the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 will not become liable to be obtained or disclosed under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 unless the criteria for obtaining or disclosing communications data under the 2000 Act are met in relation to those data in accordance with the fundamental right to personal privacy".

[Amendment not moved]

Baroness Blatch had given notice of her intention to move, as an amendment to the Motion, at end to insert "and this House calls upon Her Majesty's Government to lay a new draft order only when a full report has been given to Parliament on the entitlement (and the conditions attaching thereto) on the part of any foreign government, body or person to require access to communications data in the United Kingdom pursuant to any legislation, agreement, treaty or convention whether national, international or in relation to the European Union and when the Government have taken note of Parliament's view on that report".

[Amendment not moved.]

On Question, Motion agreed to.