Clause 1 - The National Crime Agency

Part of Crime and Courts Bill [Lords] – in a Public Bill Committee at 2:15 pm on 22 January 2013.

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Photo of Jeremy Browne Jeremy Browne The Minister of State, Home Department 2:15, 22 January 2013

The short answer is yes; that is my understanding. I cannot vouch for every individual member of staff who has to decide whether to continue with that career, but the organisation will be transferred into the NCA and will not be altered or compromised in its existing forms. I suspect for a lot of staff on a day-to-day basis their work will continue largely as before. I hope that CEOP as an organisation within the NCA will benefit from what we regard as the greater reach and strategic capacity of the NCA. It will remain in that sense in its existing form.

I was saying that the role of CEOP is spelled out in greater detail in the draft framework document, including retaining its operational independence within the context of the NCA, having a clear delegated authority for its budget and so on, and that document is publicly available. There is a series of assurances that I hope will comfort right hon. and hon. Members who may inaccurately doubt the Government’s commitment to CEOP. It will be able to retain its multidisciplinary work force and its innovative partnerships and fund-raising work with the private, public and third sector. I wholeheartedly share the right hon. Gentleman’s desire to ensure that CEOP, within the NCA, continues to build on its work to protect children, but I do not agree that putting the commands on the face of the Bill is the right way to ensure that. I hope that I have reassured him and other members of the Committee that sufficient guarantees are already in place