I beg to move, That this House doth agree with the Lords in the said amendment.

The purpose of the amendment is to extend to authorised investigators appointed under clause 57 some of the powers of a constable under schedule 7 of the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act 1989. That Act empowers a police officer to apply for search warrants and production orders in connection with investigations of terrorist finances.

Because the material obtained as a result of the execution of such warrants and orders is likely to be complex and technical, in such cases the RUC will probably apply to the Secretary of State for the appointment of an authorised investigator to assist the investigation. The amendment would simply provide that, when an authorised investigator had been appointed to deal with such an investigation, he could himself apply for any further search warrants or production orders that were required. Persons applying for such orders can expect to be asked searching questions by whomever is considering the application, and it would not be easy for anyone but the authorised investigator to attempt to answer them.

The proposal in no way alters the properly strict conditions that must be fulfilled before any order may be granted under schedule 7. It simply enables an authorised investigator to apply for such orders. It also allows an authorised investigator access to any material that is the subject of an access order. Without such a provision, the authorised investigator would have to seek a production order for the material.