UK Borders Bill

I can indeed give that assurance, and I can say to him that we will provide even greater powers for the regulator. We, too, think that that is very important. My right hon. Friend the Member for Southampton, Itchen (Mr. Denham), made some telling points, many of which I am sure will be discussed in Committee. We agree very much with him that employers who are abusive, and employers and agencies who act illegally, should be subject to the full force of the law. They provide a pull-factor, drawing people into this country. My right hon. Friend and a number of other Members, including my hon. Friend the Member for Walthamstow (Mr. Gerrard), expressed concerns about the possible consequences when enforcement takes place and the new powers bite. They are right to raise concerns about whether we will put strategies in place to deal with the consequences of increasing enforcement. I assure them that that enforcement and the advent of the biometric immigration document will be rolled out on an incremental basis, that we will ensure that we deal with the consequences of increasing enforcement—which will be the turning up of people who are here illegally and working illegally—and that we will address all the issues surrounding that. That is the right thing to do. My right hon. Friend the Member for Southampton, Itchen also raised the possibility of aligning the powers of Revenue and Customs staff and immigration officers. As my hon. Friend the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Nationality pointed out in his opening remarks, we see that as an important step in the right direction, and it will make a difference. My right hon. Friend also asked about the fraudulent use of EU documents. I am sure that he is aware that that is covered by the Identity Cards Act 2006, which makes it an offence to possess an illegal document or to intend to use a false immigration document, including EU identity cards. I hope that that gives him some reassurance. Through the measures in the Bill, it is our intention to create a more visible presence at our border. An important part of that is giving immigration officers at ports the powers to detain individuals who are the subject of an arrest warrant or liable to arrest by a police constable. It is essential as we move forward that all agencies at the border are working together to achieve a common aim: protecting the public not just from illegal immigration, but from the threat to our national security. The hon. Member for Rochdale (Paul Rowen), who spoke for the Liberal Democrats, asked why we have yet to consult on the illegal working measures in the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006. We will consult on them this year—I thought that he might know this—before introducing the civil penalty scheme. In fact, we have brought forward that consultation by a year, which he will doubtless welcome as they are important provisions that will help us to bear down on illegal working. They will also make a significant difference as our cross-Government enforcement strategy is introduced and starts to bite. As we move forward, it is essential that all these agencies work together, for the reasons that I outlined. The Bill also includes important measures to tackle facilitation and people-trafficking, to which a number of Members have referred. Those profiting from the misery of others will no longer be able to hide abroad. As soon as a known trafficker comes to the United Kingdom, we will be able to arrest them. Alternatively, we will have the power to track them down abroad and to extradite them to face prosecution here. I am pleased that we have support throughout the Chamber for these measures. We are all conscious, as we move toward the 200th anniversary of the abolition of slavery, that this is slavery by any other name. I want to clarify what my hon. Friend the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Nationality said about issuing biometric documents to people aged under 16, just to be absolutely sure that my hon. Friend the Member for Walthamstow, who asked about under-16s, understands the information therein. Biometric immigration documents will be issued to under-16s as proof of their immigration status, and they will contain a facial image. We are still considering at what age the requirement for fingerprints will apply. Discussions are under way in the EU regarding at what age children should have their fingerprints recorded; we currently record the fingerprints of asylum seekers from the age of five. I want to reassure my hon. Friend that these junior biometric immigration documents cannot then be designated as ID cards. He will know that the Identity Cards Act 2006 applies to people aged 16-plus. I hope that that clarification is helpful to him. The biometrics measures are indeed a substantial and important part of this Bill, along with the enforcement measures. The introduction of the biometric immigration document as an enforcement mechanism and the new powers for immigration officers will help us better to tackle illegal working and immigration crime. It is essential that front-line staff have the right powers to act swiftly when confronted with someone committing an immigration offence. Over recent years, this aim has progressed, and the measures in the Bill go one step further in allowing immigration investigations to be carried out independently of other agencies. The Bill is a key element in delivering these improvements, and I commend it to the House. Question put and agreed to. Bill accordingly read a Second time.