UK Borders Bill

I have listened with great interest to the contributions by other Members of the Committee. The noble Baroness, Lady Anelay, asked me whether I was about to withdraw my amendment. I do not know why she made that assumption. On the basis of everything that I have said, I should have thought it was most unlikely that I would withdraw my amendment were it not a case of force majeure and the Grand Committee procedures with which we are faced. I wanted to get that on the record. There is one other thing that I should report to Members of the Committee. I had to visit my office briefly this afternoon. It is extraordinary how these things happen, but quite coincidentally I noticed that among the mail on my desk—I emphasise that this was delivered with the mail this afternoon—was a copy of the Government’s reply to the report on asylum of the Joint Committee on Human Rights. I was tempted to seize it and, when I rejoined the Committee, to start to analyse what was in it. However, it seemed to me that that would be too instantaneous a reaction and that I needed to consider very carefully what was in it. However, it will be considered very carefully before we reach the next stage of the Bill. At the moment, I am far from satisfied but because of the procedures I can only assist my noble friend—which in another sense I am glad to do—by withdrawing the amendment.