New Clause 1 - Jurisdiction of the court
International Criminal Court Bill [Lords]
5:45 pm
Mr Robert Maclennan (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, Liberal Democrat)
I have sat for many hours, and will no doubt sit for many more, without complaint, listening to arguments that are made perfectly in order but not unfamiliarly. Indeed, the arguments have been deployed with such frequency that I think it unlikely that I would have misconstrued them. The hon. Lady, who spoke for nigh on 35 minutes on new clause 1, made few points that she had not made in discussing earlier amendments or at another stage of the Bill's consideration.
There seems to be no reason to believe that the implementation of the Bill and the ratification of the statute will put our troops at risk of a lower standard of justice than that which they would expect from the British courts. There is little evidence to suggest that that anxiety is strongly held in the country's military circles. If there were such evidence, it would have been more comprehensively deployed in our debates.
Reference has been made en passant to Sir Michael Boyce's evidence to the Select Committee. I venture to suggest that his was not a considered contribution to our discussions, and important though his views are, he does not seem to have focused squarely on the issues before this Committee.