MPs debate motion relating to Prüm decisions
8 December 2015 (updated on 8 December 2015)
MPs debated a motion relating to cross-border cooperation to tackle serious and organised crime: Prüm Decisions, on Tuesday 8 December 2015.
- Watch Parliament TV: Serious and Organised Crime: Prüm Convention
- Read Commons Hansard: Serious and Organised Crime: Prüm Convention
Motion for debate
MPs debated the following motion:
"That this House, wishing to see serious crimes solved, to counter terrorism and to see foreign criminals prosecuted and deported, supports opting into the Prüm Decisions; notes the views of senior law enforcement officers that the Prüm Decisions are an important aid to tackling crime; notes the success of a pilot that demonstrated that the Prüm decisions mechanism is both swift and effective; and further notes that only a subset of the relevant national DNA and fingerprint databases, containing data relating to individuals convicted of recordable offences, will be made available for searching by other participating States, and that the higher UK scientific standards will be applied to matches in the UK."
The Speaker selected the following amendment in the name of Sir William Cash for debate.
"Line 2, leave out from 'deported' to end and add ', does not support opting in to the Prüm Decisions because of the need to protect the civil liberties of British citizens, because of the risks to UK sovereignty posed by accepting the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in this area and because it would mean missing the opportunity to require a better arrangement, noting that the Government's policy is to renegotiate the jurisdiction of the ECJ and the result of the referendum in Denmark preserving that country's opt-out from such measures that will require Denmark to negotiate on an intergovernmental basis; notes that necessary international cooperation against terrorism and serious crime does not, and did not prior to the Lisbon Treaty, require the UK to accept the supremacy of EU law, the jurisdiction of the ECJ or the application of the Charter of Fundamental Rights; and therefore requires the Government to secure alternative arrangements outside the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice."
The amendment was disagreed to on division (Division No. 145, Ayes 26 votes, Noes 503 votes)
The main motion was agreed without a vote.
Related Information
House of Commons Library analysis
The House of Commons Library produces briefing papers to inform MPs and their staff of key issues. The papers contain factual information and a range of opinions on each subject, and aim to be politically impartial.
The Library has published a briefing paper on the Prüm Decisions which contains more information on this topic.
European Scrutiny Committee
The European Scrutiny Committee has published a report looking at cross-border law enforcement cooperation with significant implications for the prevention of terrorism and for internal security, crime, privacy and Parliamentary Sovereignty — UK participation in Prüm.
Watching proceedings from the public gallery
UK residents and overseas visitors can watch proceedings in the House of Commons by visiting the public gallery.
This article was produced by the Commons Digital Outreach Team. Follow the @HouseofCommons for updates on the UK House of Commons Chamber.