Clause 1 - The ICC and the ICC Statute
International Criminal Court Bill [Lords]
10:45 am
Mr Edward Garnier (Harborough, Conservative)
I did not have an opportunity in the first half hour of the sitting to welcome you to the Chair, Mr. Cook. I trust that things will go well for us all.
I hope for some clarification from the Minister. My hon. Friend the Member for Chesham and Amersham made her case in some detail. Precision is vital, because the Bill introduces the statute of Rome into our domestic legislation, and in so doing extends jurisdiction over our citizens to a foreign body—we have done that before on other occasions. The items referred to in paragraphs (a) to (e) of the amendment demonstrate that there has been some imprecision in language. Will the Minister assure the Committee that the thing that we are ratifying and signing up to is certain?
Our amendment may not be perfectly drafted; that is often the way with Opposition amendments—we have to do the best that we can with what we have got. However, it is important that our citizens, who may or may not become entangled in ICC proceedings, should have some precise understanding of what it is that we are giving away or not giving away. The point is simple, but I hope that the Minister can explain to my hon. Friend and me the nature of the beast that, through the Bill, we will soon get to know.