John Pugh (Shadow Minister, Transport; Southport, Liberal Democrat)

I am grateful Mr. O’Hara. I would hate to be responsible for bringing everybody back this afternoon unnecessarily.

There is an obligation for us to have a workable system at every airport where there is international traffic. There is an obligation for airport authorities to satisfy the Home Office that such a workable system exists. Therefore, I have left within the new clause the capacity of the Home Office both to inspect an airport security scheme when presented with one and to add any necessary requirements that it considers necessary. That leaves the Home Office a wide element of discretion but I am happy to do so because security is a priority and highly confidential. One does not want to disclose this or for people to access it who have no business doing so.

Over a period of time, were this clause to be accepted, it would be possible for the Home Office to specify standards of equipment to be used for security purposes. There is much technological development at present that provides good ways of picking up all kinds of substances when brought in through an airport. The general burden of the new clause is for there to be an adequate system at every airport and for the Home Office to know that there is an adequate system. That seems a fairly minimal expectation. Although the Minister will probably not accept the new clause, I hope that she will consider how these requirements can be included in the scope of existing legislation.

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