Government committee critical of control order system
On Monday, 1 March 2010 the parlimentary Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR) presented its report Annual Renewal of Control Orders Legislation 2010 to parliament.
The JCHR report is highly critical of the control order regime, concludes that “the current control order regime is no longer sustainable” and calls for it to be scrapped altogether. The cost of control orders and their impact on the individuals, families and communities affected were singled out as particular concerns. The report criticised the government for failing to give MPs sufficient information about control orders to be able to scrutinise them effectively. Also criticised is the use of special advocates and their ability to communicate or represent a controlled person once an advocate has received closed material.
