Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Bill

My Lords, I am grateful to the Minister for her explanation. I have been reminded by my noble friend Lord Mar and Kellie that I should not make another speech, having already spoken. I shall resist the temptation, and simply comment on some of the issues that the Minister has raised before withdrawing my amendment. I was disappointed that we did not have the opportunity to listen fully to the contribution of the noble Lord, Lord Laird, on the grounds that—we were told—he was making a Second Reading speech. This is the first time we have had the opportunity to discuss the points system. It is right that we should have discussed it fully, and I do not think the Second Reading excuse is the right one in this case. Let us hope that there will be another opportunity, particularly in the other place, where there could be a fuller discussion on the basis not only of the Government’s own document but—I very much hope—of the report of the independent monitor, who obviously has made observations on this matter. When the Home Office publishes that document, it will be clearly demonstrated whether an administration review is needed. If the independent monitor is satisfied, we need not take the case further, but I suspect that the independent monitor has made the type of comments that makes an administrative review very important indeed. The Minister referred to the appeals system. If appeal rights are retained under Clause 1, why is that not possible under Clause 4? We have been told about the points system. That system, or any system, can be effective only if it has proper means of review at various stages. I do not believe that any system can be foolproof, which is one reason why we strongly support the amendment of the noble Baroness, Lady Warwick. My second point relates very much to the issues raised by the noble Baroness, Lady Anelay. The Minister has given an explanation in relation to the concerns of the Chinese community and other communities in a number of meetings. Let us hope that that can be monitored over time to see that it does not have an adverse effect, especially when we consider the substantial contribution that such communities make to the economy. The Minister has rightly explained how the system will work, especially in relation to some of the concessions in the type of administration review that we are looking for. We shall certainly examine it carefully. Obviously there will be an opportunity to put questions to the Minister in the future. In the mean time, I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. [Amendment No. 2 not moved.]