madam president pnr is as has been acknowledged an important tool for national security
it is a key component in the battle to keep us safe not just in the air but on the ground
however pnr must only be a tool to combat terrorism
it must not become a free licence for the retention of data by governments or their agencies
therefore we must deeply consider who we allow access to this data and why not just to which country but which agencies
what benefits will there be to us from their access to it
how will it be protected by them and importantly how can we be assured that it remains so
we must also be certain that all arrangements with third countries are mutual so that we too can benefit
pnr is an important weapon in ensuring we protect ourselves against such terrorism but it is not the only weapon pragmatism and proportionality should be key to every decision we make in this house the subject of passenger name records is no different
