UK Borders Bill

That is precisely why I was looking forward to an assertion from the Dispatch Box by the Minister, so that it could be relayed back to those organisations. The last point that I want to make is that the Minister has accepted that the provision should apply not only to the agency, but to any contracted organisation that it might use to fulfil some of its duties. Again, there should have been no argument about that. It is absolutely straightforward. It should not have posed any question. The hon. Member for Ashford asked the Minister about the slightly less than lucid response from Lord Bassam. I have known Lord Bassam for a very long time, and his responses are often not quite as comprehensible as perhaps they should be, but I hope that the Minister will tell us exactly what he meant. Perhaps he simply meant that he was unsighted on the issue in another place, and perhaps the Minister can fill in the gaps for us this afternoon. On that basis, I will certainly not oppose Lords amendment No. 19, but I will support amendment (a) if the hon. Member for Ashford presses it to a vote.