UK Borders Bill

My Lords, the Minister was a little ungracious. He cannot expect Members of the Opposition to draft amendments that extend to 79 clauses and eight schedules; we would not be thanked by your Lordships if we were to proceed in such a way. The normal method is for the principle to be established and then, if that is agreed, for the Government to go away and draft something that meets the agreed intentions of the House; it is not for proposals to be developed fully by those of us who do not have the resources of a whole department on which to call. I had hoped that the Minister would respond to my intervention on NOMS. When NOMS was introduced, no legislation was in place; it was simply announced. A new entity which was supposed to cover end-to-end management of persons sentenced by the courts was being created, but it was not until long afterwards that we knew what NOMS was, how it would work, or the Government’s intentions for its management. So if that was what NOMS was meant to be—and I am not sure that one could say that about it—we are following a good precedent. We also endorse the approach taken by the Government. We look forward with great keenness to the report mentioned by the Minister and think that it proceeds to some extent down the lines that both the Conservatives and we advanced at Second Reading and this afternoon. There is better integration and more co-operation between the agencies involved in controlling entry and residence in our country and, to that extent, we are of the same mind as the Government. So it is right that at this stage I should beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment No. 1A, as an amendment to Amendment No. 1, by leave, withdrawn.