UK Borders Bill

These are technical amendments, for which I am grateful to the Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee. In the Bill as drafted, we sought to make some changes in the way that evidence was submitted once the points-based system was in place. In particular, we wanted to avoid the nonsense of having late evidence provided at the last minute. We sought to introduce the changes in the immigration rules, but the Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee made the helpful point that we were looking in the wrong place to introduce those rules. In fact, powers relating to rules about the presentation of evidence to the asylum and immigration tribunal should be exercised by the Lord Chancellor, not the Home Secretary. The amendment is thus designed to correct the legislation on that point. The key phrases in question will now be defined in AIT procedure rules made by the Lord Chancellor, not in immigration rules made by the Home Secretary. I commend the amendment to the House.