Clause 2 - Board's policing objectives
Police (Northern Ireland) Bill [Lords]
10:30 am
Mr David Wilshire (Spelthorne, Conservative)
I beg to move amendment No. 8, in
clause 2, page 2, line 9, leave out '''but''' and insert '''or''.'
Clause 2 will alter section 25(2) of the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000, which says:
''Objectives under this section may relate to matters to which objectives under section 24 also relate, or to other matters''—
and this is the bit that the Government seek to delete:
''but in any event shall be so framed as to be consistent with the objectives under that section.''
I have no doubt that in due course the Minister will tell us why it is necessary to delete that phrase. I do not want to comment on that yet; I would rather hear the Minister's justification for it. I may then wish to comment on the reasons that she gives. For the moment, however, I will leave that question, because it is a matter for a stand part debate.
I am concerned about the issue, and I tabled the amendment because, as I said in passing during the debate on clause 1, I have constitutional objections to
giving Secretaries of State a free hand. My amendment would remove more words than the Government would wish to see removed; it would remove ''or to other matters'', so that subsection (2) would read:
''Objectives under this section may relate to matters to which objectives under section 24 also relate''.
If I could understand that I would probably agree with it. However, I am not sure whether I could get my mind round that; it is either too early or too late in the day. I always wonder about a Bill that says that something may happen and certain things may be done. I have a suspicious mind, and I want to know why, having once said, ''The Government may do this,'' someone can tag on ''or anything else'' as the fancy takes them? That is exactly what the words ''or to other matters'' mean in this context. Why is it necessary to say, ''You may consider this,'' and then add ''or anything else''? That is a strange way to legislate; it owes more to the dictatorial nature of the Government, to which I objected during the debate on the programme motion.
What are the other matters? What have the Government got hidden behind the covers of the file? What are they up to that they do not want to list? If they are not ashamed of what the other matters might be, let them include them in the Bill so that we can know what may be considered. I am always nervous when I see that the Secretary of State may include anything else that he feels like including. That is not democratic Government, it does not provide accountability to Parliament and I do not believe that such wording should be included in any legislation.