Brexit: Security

Lord Cormack Excerpts

Tuesday 29th January 2019 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Williams of Trafford]

It is certainly the case that the European arrest warrant is a very smooth process. I cannot give the noble Lord an estimate of the exact time relying on the Council of Europe convention because it has not happened yet. I can give estimates of what happened when we relied on the convention, but I cannot give an estimate on what has not happened yet. There is no doubt—I think this goes to the nub of the noble Lord’s point—that the European arrest warrant is a very smooth process.

[Lord Cormack (Con)]

My Lords—

[Lord Tebbit (Con)]

My Lords—

[Lord Cormack]

I think it is my turn this time.

[Lord Taylor of Holbeach (Con)]

Order. The House will hear from my noble friend Lord Cormack.

[Lord Cormack]

Can my noble friend assure the House that, although it would be very much a second best, bilateral negotiations are already taking place with all the countries of the European Union, particularly the larger countries—France, Germany, Italy and Spain—to ensure that we have bilateral agreements if we have the very unhappy result of no deal.

[Baroness Williams of Trafford]

My noble friend is absolutely right. With particular reference to Europol, this is pertinent, as we would have to have a series of bilateral co-operation mechanisms. In addition, we would be moving our Europol liaison bureau to The Hague.