§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures have been taken to assess the number of persons detained at ports under anti-terrorism powers for less than an hour and variations year by year in the frequency of stops that fall short of the minimum duration required for the purposes of the formal recording process; if the Independent Assessor has powers and resources available to advertise his address in the Irish community press to facilitate making contact with individuals who may have relevant experiences to relate; and what measures he will take to form an independent assessment of the effect and perceptions of emergency legislation among the travelling public and Irish community in particular. [123957]
§ Mr. StrawThe Independent Review of the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act 1989 has access to and speaks to the National Co-ordinator of Ports Policing who oversees the exercise of police port powers including any variations in the number of people examined.
Resources are available to the Reviewer to conduct his annual review in the manner he thinks best, which can include placing advertisements in the Irish community press. It will be for any future Reviewer of the counter-terrorist legislation to decide the most appropriate consultation process and whether to invite specifically the travelling public to make known their particular experiences at ports.