Terrorism
House of Lords
Written answers and statements, 5 October 2009
Lord Ahmed (Labour)
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they take account of the colour, ethnicity or religion of suspects when deciding whether to prosecute them for crimes relating to terrorism.
Lord West of Spithead (Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Security and Counter-terrorism), Home Office; Labour)
Her Majesty's Government do not take decisions whether or not to prosecute an individual. This is a matter for the police and the Crown Prosecution Service, which do so on the basis of the evidence available to them relating to an offence. The chief consideration is the evidence of criminal activity. Colour, ethnicity and religion are not factors taken into account when considering whether to prosecute.