The British government's emergency anti-terrorist legislation, the Criminal Justice (Terrorism and Conspiracy) Bill, is expected to receive royal assent today, after peers in the House of Lords agreed to complete their debate in one sitting yesterday.
However, during the Second Reading debate, peers from all parties put the government on notice that they had grave reservations about rushing the Bill through parliament and called for reassurance from the government that the legislation would be reviewed before it was renewed.
The Lords debate came after the Bill secured an unopposed third reading in the Commons after a 16-hour debate yesterday despite attempts by rebel Labour backbenchers to oppose its second reading. An amendment to block the second reading on the basis that the Bill was being rushed through without sufficient debate was sponsored by the former shadow Northern Ireland secretary, Mr Kevin McNamara, and supported by 17 rebel Labour backbenchers.
However, the amendment was defeated by 391 votes to 17 with a government majority of 374.
Just as MPs in the House of Commons had done before them, the peers objected to the speed of the Bill through parliament, expressing their concern that clauses in the Bill relating to international terrorism need not have been included as a present for President Clinton.
Thirty-nine peers had put down their names to speak and 48 amendments to the Bill were tabled.
The second reading debate was followed by a line-by-line assessment of the legislation at committee stage and then a third reading. MPs in the Commons were on standby to consider any amendments proposed by the Lords.
Lord Williams of Mostyn, opening the debate for the government, attempted to reassure peers that the Bill was "tightly focused" to close specific gaps in the law. The simultaneous approach to legislation adopted by London and Dublin would ensure the toughest safeguards against terrorism were brought into force. Dealing with legislation targeted at the four proscribed organisations - the `Real IRA', the Continuity IRA, INLA and the LVF - Lord Williams said penalties were already available to the courts to imprison those convicted of membership of proscribed organisations, under the terms of the Prevention of Terrorism Act, for up to 10 years and an unlimited fine. Important safeguards had been built into the legislation concerning the suspect's right to see a solicitor and no inference could be drawn by the suspect's refusal to answer questions before he had seen a solicitor.
The government expected audio recording of police interviews in Northern Ireland to become practice early next year. For the Conservatives, Lord Henley said that while his party would support the Bill, he was "deeply unsatisfied" that in keeping in step with Dublin, Parliament should have to act with such speed to pass the legislation. Lord Molyneaux of Killead, the former leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, warned the government against dismissing the `Real IRA' as a rump of terrorists, insisting it was a lethal, effective group capable of carrying out further atrocities. The Liberal Democrat peer, Earl Russell, tabled an amendment seeking to safeguard convictions for membership of a specific proscribed organisation on the opinion of a senior police officer.