When Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown made his speech to Chatham House, about "terrorist finance" etc. he alluded to new measures to help with "freezing terrorist assets". These regulations are very wide ranging, and unlimited by any Statutory Code of Practice.
The Secondary Legislation was rubber stamped through an Order in Council i.e. neither of the Houses of Parliament even got to debate these regulations, which are as long and complicated as many full Acts of Parliament:
Statutory Instrument 2006 No. 2657
The Terrorism (United Nations Measures) Order 2006
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2006/20062657.htm
[...]Made 10th October 2006
Laid before Parliament 11th October 2006
Coming into force 12th October 2006[...]
At the Court at Buckingham Palace, the 10th day of October 2006Present,
The Queen's Most Excellent Majesty in Council
[...]
i.e. The Privy Council
However, according to the Explanatory Notes, the Partial Regulatory Impact Assessment should already have been published:
"A partial regulatory impact assessment of the effect that this instrument will have on the costs of business may be attained [sic] from the Asset Freezing Unit of the Financial Crime Team, HM Treasury, 1 Horse Guards Road, London SW1A 2HQ and is also available on HM Treasury's website (www.hm-treasury.gov.uk). A copy of the regulatory impact assessment has been placed in the libraries of both Houses of Parliament."
Except, of course, that there is no such thing to be found on the Treasury website, and similarly, nothing on the HMSO Official Documents website.
Below is our FOIA request, after having tried email and phone calls to the Treasury.
Recent Comments