Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Bill

If I may say so, that was a very important contribution from someone who has been quite close to many of the problems that have been discovered in some sectors of the people who will be appealing. We shall listen with great interest to what the Government say about that. My noble friend has made several suggestions about what might happen to enable a review of initial decisions refusing a request to stay. What difference will there be between the scope there is for the independent monitor under the Bill as compared to the present situation? What we heard on the last Committee day was frankly rather horrifying to someone who has not been as close as many people present in Committee have been to the situation—I was appalled, quite frankly. The quotations from the report of the independent monitor did not alleviate my concern. To what extent has the role been expanded? We know that the position will be a full time one; what does that mean? How much greater will the staff be? How much reliance can we place on her ability to do the job that she has been given? From the evidence that we have had so far about the quality of decision-making and the number of appeals overturned under the present system, there is a very big job to do, and it is the nub of the problem of the Bill. We want a comment, which I am sure the Minister will give, on each amendment, so we can hear what the Government think of the various proposals. As the noble Baroness, Lady Warwick, said, if they do not like any of these, we want to hear whether they have any other ideas, because what is in the Bill will not do.