Parliamentarians reject 42-day plan

A cross-party committee of parliamentarians has recommended an alternative to the government's plan to extend pre-charge detention to 42 days.

 

Ahead of the final stages of the Counter Terrorism Bill, the j oint select committee on human rights also proposes a conference to discuss the bill.

 

The committee says it is "astonished" that ministers have "completely failed" to answer the substantial case against the extension made in its earlier report.

 

The report says that a detailed alternative package of measures would make extending the pre-charge detention period "wholly unnecessary".

 

MPs and peers say the government failed to answer its calls to bring forward the evidence it relies on to demonstrate that the threat from terrorism has increased in the last year.

 

The government has still not made its case for the need to extend pre-charge detention beyond the current limit of 28 days.

 

Instead, the committee says, the government should have considered its detailed alternative proposals which both protect the public better and comply with human rights principles.

 

Committee chairman Andrew Dismore said: "Not only have we found no clear evidence of a need to go beyond the current 28-day maximum in the near future, we have also demonstrated, in a series of reports, that there is now a comprehensive alternative package of measures which together protect the public, whilst also reducing the risk of alienating minority communities.

 

"We are astonished – and extremely disappointed – that the government have failed even to consider our proposed alternative, in the meagre four paragraphs of official response we have received so far.

 

"I will be tabling amendments to give effect to the committee's recommendations and to enable the Commons to consider our alternative package of measures, which we believe would be more effective in protecting the public."