Clause 2
Serious Crime Bill [Lords]
12:00 pm
Douglas Hogg (Sleaford and North Hykeham, Conservative)
The amendments all stand in my name, and I straight away acknowledge that their purpose is to change the architecture of the Bill. I have tried to change the definition of a serious offence. As the Committee will appreciate, a serious offence is defined in schedule 1 to the Bill. It is, incidentally, an amendable schedule. That is, the Secretary of State can amend the contents of schedule 1 to delete or for that matter include items. I think that the clause is at the heart of the debate. Although the phrase “a serious offence” sounds weighty, the schedule shows that many of the offences are hardly of a character to qualify for the draconian orders that the Committee is considering.
It would be possible for me to go on at great length, but you would accuse me of filibustering, Mr. Bercow. I could read out the whole schedule, but I am not going to do so. I shall identify some matters, and I make the point that because I am not going to read out the whole schedule, I do not want to hear the Government Whip say later that we are taking too much time. I could take a lot more time if I wanted to, and it may be helpful to keep that in mind.—[Interruption.]