Catching up on two more things from yesterday.

First, I went to give evidence at the Watson Road Planning Inquiry. I fight the good fight against these abominable flats. The worst thing about them for me is the size. Yes – they are just about legal – but quite frankly a bedroom that is 8′ x 6′ is the size of room may be ok for a baby or small child (or box room) but as the child becomes a teenager and has brothers and sisters – it is the local MP they come to in order to beg for more space because they are all on top of each other.

These are future ghettos of dissatisfaction created by lowest common denominator developers putting pressure on local infrastructure and all in the Mayor’s name. (See my article about developers here).

Then burst into the Commons chamber just in time to squeeze in next to Nick Clegg, Lib Dem Shadow Home Secretary, who has used an arcane standing order – Standing Order 24 – to call for an emergency debate on extradition with the USA. Amazingly, the Speaker agrees – and with requisite 40 Lib Dems rising to our feet – we secure the emergency debate.

It is our appallingly negotiated extradition treaty with the USA that we wish to rescind. America can take our citizens for trial in the USA only having to show that the person they want is the person they say is the one. On the other hand – if we want to extract an American to our shores – we have to provide evidence that there is a case for them to answer. To add insult to injury – we ratified our side of the treaty and the USA did not. We are supine, as ever, and the USA does a better job of protecting its citizens than we do.

The Lords, also today, put down amendments to the Police Justice Bill to throw out the treaty – and they won (Lib Dems and Conservatives). So when it comes back to the Commons hopefully the Government will see the light.

All this of course has been pushed to the forefront by the Nat West Three who face extradition on Thursday.

This morning am having an hour’s interview by the Audit Commission in Haringey about the Council performance etc for the Comprehensive Assessment. Where do I start? We run through everything from political bias to planning to education to consultation to housing and so on and so on.

The problem I always find in these interviews is to find the right balance. I can only give my own experience with real life examples from my surgery or postbag to illustrate the gaps in their services. The most damning part of Labour Haringey is that they often say the right things but on the ground they don’t deliver – and I see the wreckage that they leave by promised action which never occurs.

Nick Clegg (Lib Dem Shadow Home Secretary) and I meet the Chiefs of Police from a number of American cities and criminologists etc in a round-table discussion. Lots of interesting ideas and notions – although it would be fair to say that I don’t think there was much common ground on minorities and how to deal with re-offending! But a really interesting group. It is always instructive to exchange views with those in the same field but from other countries.

Then I went to Millbank where there was a screen for the England match. As one colleague said at the end – it was like watching eleven Tim Henmans – i.e. agonising. Still we are through. Hurrah.

Crime continues – so to speak – with a session for the Lib Dem Home Affairs Team as a prequel to Home Office Questions at 2.30. We thrash around the issues of the day. At the moment with the Home Office in chaos and the Home Secretary is making policy on the run. We are rather spoilt for choice. We choose to go on Sarah’s List. As the emotive tensions rise and all of us who are parents, including me, wrestle with our desire to know where paedophiles are so we can protect are children, with the real fact that doing so is likely to send them underground where we have no idea where they are. This is about what’s effective – not what sounds tough or soft, but what will work to protect our children best.

Nick Clegg (Shadow Home Secretary) brings up the fact that in the USA where Megan’s Law (same thing) operates the number of offenders on the sex offenders list there has fallen to 30%. Here in the UK we have around 90% on the list. So – let’s keep cool heads and not jump to the News of the World – but on the evidence as to what works.

After Questions I rush over to Sky to do a pre-record on the news that will break tomorrow about an OFSTED report showing that our schools and councils are not keeping accurate records, nor always doing appropriate criminal record checks, on sex offenders working in our schools. After the hoo-ha when it was discovered that even four years after Soham and the Bishard Recommendations, sex offenders were still being employed – and Ruth Kelly nearly lost her job – this report that she was forced into commissioning reports its damning findings tomorrow.

It’s just a parents’ nightmare. Even if checks are carried out, they are not recorded or updated – and there are virtually no checks at all after someone has been employed. There should be a rigorous duty on checks and record keeping. And then we get into more nightmares if the Government’s Education Bill goes through as the community of schools breaks down and each trust school or foundation school or independent school looks to itself. Checking and monitoring will become even more disparate. We have to have a statutory duty for schools and authorities – clear and no lapses – on this.

Otherwise we will get lynch mobs, the Government will cave in to the tabloids and our children will be less safe than ever.