Member

In the days leading to this debate, I was given the advantage of a meeting organised by the Minister with experts from the relevant security authorities, and I thank him for that. I asked them a plain question: is the risk of terrorism increased by those recent events and by having a learning centre at the proposed site in Victoria Tower Gardens? I looked at them hard and waited for their answer, but the officials declined to answer the question one way or the other, saying that it was a political matter. The Minister was there and I was there; that is exactly what happened. If it is a political matter, given that we are considering this Bill before Parliament, it is not merely one to be decided by a Minister or two; rather, it is a matter for both Houses of Parliament.