Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill

Nothing better illustrates some of the arguments that we attempted to put forward when we discussed the programme motion in the initial stages of the debate than this group of new clauses and amendments. A large number of Government changes have been tabled for consideration on Report. In little more than half an hour's time, we will be required to divide on them. It is quite impossible to scrutinise such serious matters in this way. We are effectively giving a licence to the unelected House to do the job that we are elected to do—to deal with matters of life, liberty and criminal justice. That is all a result of the intransigence, it would appear, of the Government Whips in not providing sufficient time for us to do the job properly. It is a disgrace, and we cannot repeat that often enough. There is no possibility of going through the new clauses methodically, as we would have done had they been before us in Committee. We could have dissected them line by line and had the opportunity to produce amendments.