Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Bill [HL]

I rise only to draw attention to the fact that this is yet another case where guidance is expected to be published on how discretion is to be exercised, and quite an important one, because, in this case, the Secretary of State is taking power to deem that a relevant family association continues to exist although it has in fact broken down since the date of the application. It is crucial, if we get to the end of the period and a relationship has broken down for whatever reason, to know how that discretion will be exercised. We are completely in the dark, as so often with the Bill. I have lost count of the number of times when the Minister has assured us that guidance will be published and that we will get it in good time, no doubt before Report. Your Lordships are supposed to be discussing the matter in Committee. If we have to wait until Report, it is a bit late to make any alterations or suggest ways in which the Government could improve the guidance, assuming that we have seen it by then. This is a very unsatisfactory way of discussing a Bill of any kind, but especially one that affects the human rights of vulnerable people, as this Bill does. I regret that the Minister has had to keep on getting up to tell us that guidance will be published and that we will see it sooner or later.