UNCORRECTED TRANSCRIPT OF ORAL EVIDENCE To be published as HC 192-i
House of COMMONS MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFORE LIAISON COMMITTEE THE PRIME MINISTER
Thursday 13 December 2007
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N BROWN MP Evidence heard in Public Questions 1 – 120 USE OF THE TRANSCRIPT
1. This is an uncorrected transcript of evidence taken in public and reported to the House. The transcript has been placed on the internet on the authority of the Committee, and copies have been made available by the Vote Office for the use of Members and others. 2. Any public use of, or reference to, the contents should make clear that neither witnesses nor Members have had the opportunity to correct the record. The transcript is not yet an approved formal record of these proceedings.
3. Members who receive this for the purpose of correcting questions addressed by them to witnesses are asked to send corrections to the Committee Assistant.
4. Prospective witnesses may receive this in preparation for any written or oral evidence they may in due course give to the Committee. …. Q97 Malcolm Bruce: Just on that, Prime Minister, the main democratic opposition to the Iranian regime is the People’s Mujahideen organisation of Iran, which has been proscribed in this country. The proscribed organisation’s appeals committee have said that they are not involved in terrorism and that the refusal of the Home Secretary to de-proscribe them was flawed, perverse and must be set aside. Why does the Government not accept that?
Mr Brown: I have looked at that issue that you raise. It is certainly, however, the case that the organisation that you describe has been, in the past, involved in terrorist activity, and I do not think there is any doubt about the evidence that that has been the case. Therefore, to proscribe an organisation that has been involved in terrorist activity seems the right thing to do by the decisions of this Government to be consistent with other decisions that we make. Q98 Malcolm Bruce: We have accepted sometimes that terrorist organisations can change their ways? Mr Brown: But I do not think we have that evidence.
House of COMMONS
Link to the video broadcast of the session: http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Main/VideoPlayer.aspx?meetingId=665
