Detainee Mistreatment: Judge-led Inquiry Debate
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Lord Hanson of Flint
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Detainee Mistreatment: Judge-led Inquiry
Lord Hanson of Flint Excerpts(5 years, 4 months ago)
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Mr Lidington
Looking at international practice, I think we in this country can point to a system that requires high standard, and that is remarkably transparent, given the extremely secret nature of some of the personnel and operations that are relevant here. We now have a statutory role for the Investigatory Powers Commissioner, and we have his annual reports, including on detainee policy. We have enhanced powers for Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee, and the Prime Minister no longer has the power to appoint its Chair. The framework established by the Justice and Security Act 2013 and the Investigatory Powers Act 2016 measures up against the best standards in the world.
David Hanson (Delyn) (Lab)
The Intelligence and Security Committee, on which I sit, finished its investigation on rendition, but the Government refused it access to certain individuals, so it could not interview them on the matter. If there were to be a judge-led inquiry, would the Government allow all individuals to give evidence to the judge?
Mr Lidington
I will not speculate on the content of the decision later this week, but I take on board the challenge that the right hon. Gentleman has posed.