Bill to remove political control of S.I.S.

Press, 19 February 1987, Page 3

Bill to remove political control of S.I.S.

Wellington reporter

New legislation on the Security Intelligence Service was introduced in Parliament yesterday. It was introduced by the Democratic Party but supported by the Labour Government. The bill was intended to transfer the power to issue interception warrants to the' Security Intelligence Service from the Minister in charge to the Chief Justice, said the leader of the Democrats, Mr Neil Morrison (Dem., Pakuranga). Control of the S.I.S. should be removed from the political arena, he said.

Mr Richard Northey (Lab., Eden) said the Government welcomed the bill .and similar legislation was on its agenda for a second term if reelected this year.

Mr Morrison said the move had long -been a matter of Labour as well as Democrat policy and criticised the Prime Minister, Mr Lange, for having “completely vetoed any implementation” of that policy since becoming Minister in charge of the S.I.S.

This simple bill would test the Government’s integrity, he said. Mr Northey denied that it had been vetoed and said it had been deferred by the Government because other matters had taken priority.

The bill would need to go to a select committee to be tidied up, he said. It could not be dealt with in just a few minutes, but in relation to other issues.

Mr Northey did not expect that the matter could be dealt with before the General Election and said

it would have to be held over to the next Parliament.

, The Opposition spokesman on foreign affairs, Sir Robert Muldoon, said the National Party was opposed to the legislation.

Efforts such as this to dismantle the S.LS. were typical of a Labour Government now dominated by the extreme Left.

It also showed that' the Prime Minister could not control the Left wing of his own party because Mr Lange had said he did not support the S.l.S.’s passing from Ministerial control.

Mr Northey denied that Mr Lange was opposed or had ever said the issue of warrants should not be a judicial matter.

The bill was introduced on a 43-30 division and referred to the Justice and Law Reform Select Committee.