Counter-Terrorism and Security Bill — Clause 21 — Duty to Combat and Reject Messages of Extremism — 16 Dec 2014 at 17:15

The majority of MPs voted against giving specified public bodies a duty to combat and reject messages of extremism in addition to a duty already in the Bill to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism.

MPs were considering the Counter-Terrorism and Security Bill.^[1]

The amendment rejected by the majority of MPs in this vote was:

• amendment 30, page 13, line 34, at end insert
• “and must also develop capacity to combat and reject the messages of extremism”.

The MP who proposed this amendment provided a plain English explanation of it which stated:

• This amendment introduces a requirement to support work combating the ideology of extremism as part of preventing people being drawn into terrorism.

Clause 21 of the Bill on which the amendment would have taken affect was titled 'General duty on specified authorities' and subclause (1) to which the above text would have been added had the amendment not been rejected stated:

• (1) A specified authority must, in the exercise of its functions, have due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism.

The bodies to be covered, listed in a schedule, included local councils, schools, the police and health organisations.

• [1] Parliament's webpage on the Counter-Terrorism and Security Bill
• [2] Clause 21 of the Counter-Terrorism and Security Bill as introduced

Debate in Parliament | Source |