Immigration (Discharged Gurkhas) Bill [HL]

My Lords, I am grateful to all those who have participated in today’s debate. We have had five deeply sincere Back-Bench speeches from all quarters of the House. The noble Lord, Lord Glentoran, rightly talked about the diminishing number of Gurkhas. I say to the Minister that the 40,000 figure is a red herring and nonsense. We heard the noble Viscount, Lord Slim, with his great reputation and stature, talking about the military covenant and the Gurkhas’ value as citizens. We had the contribution of the noble Lord, Lord Sheikh, with his considerable admiration for the Gurkhas. He talked with his deep professional knowledge of the pensions issue, which I was not focusing on today, although it is important. I acknowledge some of the improvements that the Government have made in the pensions situation of some. We then had the most moving speech from the noble Lord, Lord Bilimoria, with his deep family involvement with the Gurkhas, questioning where the military covenant is when it comes to the Gurkhas. There was also, of course, the contribution of my friend and colleague, the noble Lord, Lord Burnett, who served with the Gurkhas in Burma—