Briefing from the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman on: European Convention/Asylum, Draft Corporate Killing Bill and Reshuffle.
European Convention/Asylum
In answer to questions posed earlier regarding the European Convention and asylum, the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman (PMOS) drew journalists’ attention to the Prime Minister’s speech in Cardiff last November in which he had said, "I do believe it is time to communitise much of the justice and home affairs pillar. This would not, of course, affect the agreement Britain secured at Amsterdam in 1997 on our border controls. But it will mean integrated and effective action on issues to do with organised crime, drug dealing, asylum and immigration that affect all of Europe and cannot seriously be tackled by nations alone". The PMOS said it was important for the sake of clarity that journalists recognised that what he had said this morning did not break new ground.
Draft Corporate Killing Bill
In answer to questions concerning the criminal liability of directors, the PMOS said that the legislation would be targeted at the companies themselves, which was the area of weakness currently being addressed. As he understood it, the criminal liability of individual directors would not be targeted by the proposals. He referred journalists to the Home Office for further detail.
Reshuffle
Asked if he would agree it was ‘weird’ that the Prime Minister had not appointed a new anti-terrorism Minister, particularly in the current international climate, the PMOS said that we had answered this question several times in recent weeks. The idea that leaving the John Denham post unfilled pro tem meant that the Government was not addressing the issue of terrorism with all due seriousness was clearly a false premise. The Home Secretary, David Blunkett, was continuing to lead on these matters at a departmental level. This was also clearly an area where the Prime Minister put a considerable focus given his relationship with the Security Services and the importance of the issue. Asked if the Prime Minister was intending to fill the post, the PMOS said that the Prime Minister would turn his mind to these issues at the appropriate time, as we had said repeatedly. Asked if he was indicating that the Prime Minister was thinking about restructuring the Home Office, the PMOS said that he wouldn’t encourage journalists down the ‘two Home Secretaries’ route which some appeared to have travelled last week.
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