UK Borders Bill

I do not want to go on about this at great length. It is a long time ago now since I was involved in the world of social work and I do not claim that I was the world’s greatest social worker—far from it. I understand what the noble Earl is saying. We will have to work very closely—we already do—with social services departments and those responsible for child welfare, and clearly they are much more skilled in the way they work and understand that balance. However, I return to the point that there is an entirely benign purpose, in part, behind what we are trying to do. It is important we recognise that we have obligations to those unaccompanied children and we want to assure that they are afforded proper protection. The noble Lord, Lord Hylton has given an interpretation of the figures which I find alarming. Certainly in the brief period in which I was a professional social worker, had I felt that we had as a home failed to protect children—who then went walkabout and were vulnerable to criminals, to those who do not have their best interests at heart and to those who simply wish to use them and manipulate them—I would have been appalled by our record and our failure. That is our case. That is why we are where we are on this, but we recognise that we must continue to seek excellence and improve our record. Obviously, we need powers to do that.