Patrick Mercer (Shadow Minister (Homeland Security), (Assisted By Shadow Law Officers); Newark, Conservative)

I wish to follow on from what my hon. and learned Friend has said. I am worried about the width and breadth of the unknown documents under clause 4. I am worried especially about the ability of local authorities to introduce documents, given the provisions of the Civil Contingencies Act 2004. It is now more understandable how that the   provisions of the Act might be enacted in national emergencies. Given what happened recently, it is much clearer how, in the event of a catastrophe occurring in a discrete part of the world, local authorities might suddenly be given much greater powers and that they might wish to introduce documents to assist them with identity and the general clear-up in the aftermath of a disaster that might then be considered documents to be designated for the purposes of registration. I would be grateful if the Minister cleared that point up for me. I hope that it is not too abstruse; I think it important, given our lengthy deliberations during the passage of the Civil Contingencies Bill, and also given how the subsequent Act might affect those documents.

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