§ Mr. GrieveTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the compatibility of his proposal that the standard of proof in the trial of suspected terrorists should be the balance of probabilities with the European Convention on Human Rights; and if he will make a statement. [153046]
§ Mr. Blunkett[holding answer 5 February 2003]We need to address the question of how we deal with the serious and continuing threat of international terrorism and suicide bombers, many of whom are not deterred by fear of prosecution and how we can use the criminal law to prevent terrorism, rather than merely reacting after the fact.
I will publish discussion papers shortly on the challenge facing the UK in tackling terrorism effectively. It will be important to have a full debate on all the options presented and I look forward to hearing the hon. Member's proposals at the same time.