Clause 67
Counter-Terrorism Bill
6:45 pm
Tony McNulty (Minister of State (Security, Counter-terrorism, Crime and Policing), Home Office; Harrow East, Labour)
Briefly, the amendment will ensure that the amendments to the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 contained in clause 67, which make intercept material admissible at inquest proceedings, also extend to Northern Ireland. New clause 6 will insert a new section in the Coroners Act (Northern Ireland) 1959, making provisions equivalent to clause 64, which we have discussed, for Northern Ireland. It will enable the Secretary of State to certify that an inquest will involve
“the consideration of material that should not be made public”.
When a certificate has effect, an inquest must be held or continued without a jury. Effectively, the new clause means that clause 64, as agreed to by the Committee, should also apply to Northern Ireland. These are entirely technical, nay territorial, changes, and I commend them to the Committee.