§ Lord Lamont of Lerwickasked Her Majesty's Government:
In how many cases since the last election the Government have refused requests for extradition; and on what grounds. [HL1818]
§ Lord Williams of MostynThe decision whether to grant or refuse an extradition request is a matter for my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department.
The Secretary of State's powers under the Extradition Act not to issue an Authority to proceed or surrender warrant have been exercised five times since 1 May 1997. His decisions were based on one of the following grounds. Either the papers submitted in support of the request were deficient; the charges did not amount to an extradition crime; the health of the subject of the request made extradition unjust or oppressive; or the subject of the request was convicted in his absence in the requesting state after a request had been made for him as an accused person.