UK Borders Bill

I am delighted to support the noble Baroness’s amendment. I can think of hardly any Bill on which the two of us have worked when the training issue has not been taken very seriously, and this is no exception. I support the amendment because of my serious concern about the often subjective decisions taken by immigration officers, particularly entry clearance officers abroad, which affect the entry of people coming to the United Kingdom. In this instance, we have designated additional powers to some of these officers. Even if you accepted that idea, as the noble Baroness, Lady Anelay, was right to point out, the rules under which police powers are governed according to the Police and Criminal Evidence Act are not clear. Are we certain that these officers will be trained according to their responsibilities under that Act, and where does accountability for the decision-making process ultimately lie so far as concerns these designated officers? I want to mention a very important point, which I raised during debate on the previous legislation. Then, I asked whether immigration officers were receiving training on police powers, the misuse of those powers and the responsibilities of the Independent Police Complaints Commission. I raise this now because, on the previous occasion, it took Ministers no less than six months to write to me about it formally. It became clear that those who were designated with additional powers—not in this country but outside the United Kingdom, particularly on the French border—did not come within the jurisdiction of the IPCC. The IPCC had no powers or resources to deal with complaints against those who had been designated with this sort of responsibility. Therefore, I want to find out whether the Minister has considered not only extended training for these officers but their accountability with regard to these additional powers. If not, what is their status in relation to the complaints machinery? I should be very glad to support the second part of the amendment of the noble Baroness, Lady Anelay, which says that regulations are to be published no less than six months before the commencement of the section. I think that that is right. People and Parliament should know what these regulations are and effectively how they are being implemented. Therefore, from these Benches, I am delighted to support the noble Baroness, Lady Anelay.