Clause 33 - Making, varying or discharging customer information orders
Crime (International Co-operation) Bill [Lords]
9:45 am
Ms Caroline Flint (Parliamentary Under-Secretary (reducing organised and international crime, anti drugs co-ordination and international and European issues), Home Office; Don Valley, Labour)
We have had a good debate about customer information orders, not wasting time and not being frivolous. We discussed how good it is to be clear about the protocol and how it applies to all the countries taking part in accordance with the Secretary of State when making a decision to proceed. It is important to remind the Committee of that debate, because no one wants a situation in which resources are used unwisely, as the hon. Member for Somerton and Frome said. That will put a burden on those who are investigating, because they could not do anything with the information with which they were provided. There may be an occasion when an order has to specify all financial institutions. That would not happen in each case, but it would be given considerable consideration. We want the provision to be in the Bill, because there may be occasions when it is needed.