Clause 3 - General requirements for service of process
Crime (International Co-operation) Bill [Lords]
2:30 pm
Mr James Paice (South East Cambridgeshire, Conservative)
I welcome you to the proceedings, Mr. Hurst. I am advised that my only words in my contribution before we adjourned were, ''The point is''. The point is that the purpose of the amendments is to deal with the issue of whether or not people understand the appropriate language, and in private conversation afterwards—I do not think that I am giving away too much—the Minister accused me of dancing on a pin on the difference between the phraseology in the Bill and that in the convention. There is a third form of phraseology, too. He will find that what he said was also slightly different. I would be delighted if I were able to dance on a pin. I never had such agility, even in my youngest days, and certainly not at my present age.
All Committee members will agree that it is important that the person in receipt of the process from a British court fully understands everything in it, including its meaning, its implications and what he or she should do about it. I remain unconvinced about the need for the phraseology in the Bill to be different from that in the convention, but I shall not pursue the matter and make a great fuss. There is much more to deal with this afternoon.