§ Mr. Stanbrookasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the progress of the proposed scheme for common extradition arrangements between members of the European Community.
§ Mr. BrittanWork is currently proceeding on the preparation of a draft extradition convention among the member States of the EEC. As at present envisaged, the convention would establish uniform extradition procedures among the Nine, though our present arrangements with the Republic of Ireland would probably not be disturbed, and would oblige a State which refused, in certain circumstances, to surrender a person to another EEC country to ensure that its own prosecuting authorities considered whether the person should be prosecuted. In October 1978 Ministers of Justice of the Nine decided that priority should be given to this work, in recognition of the special need for co-operation within the EEC in criminal law to ensure that criminals do not profit from the ease of movement across the national frontiers of the Community.