Clause 185 - Power to enter premises under a warrant
Enterprise Bill
6:00 pm
Miss Melanie Johnson (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department of Trade and Industry; Welwyn Hatfield, Labour)
As the hon. Member for Orkney and Shetland knows, the Bill proposes that warrants should be granted by the High Courts in England and Wales and in Northern Ireland and by the High Court of Justiciary in Scotland. The objective is to ensure the right level of scrutiny. I hear what has been said about it being the usual business of sheriffs in Scotland to grant warrants for criminal investigations into even the most serious offences. I am grateful for the comments that have been made, and I will consider whether we should revise the clause in that respect. However, I assure the hon. Gentleman that we have liaised extensively with Scottish legal experts and taken their advice.