My Lords, I hope I can clarify this a little. The three hours relate to waiting for the police to come along and investigate; the six hours are for a border force official to do the investigation. I think we need more clarification on this. I am not happy with the advice I am getting. I agree that there is confusion here, which is not satisfactory. This needs to be resolved, and I shall do that.
Do noble Lords wish me to go on to the issue of five days and seven days? I do not know how it is best to take the other issue forward. I will take it away, clarify the position and write to noble Lords who have attended this debate. I hope that there is sense and logic behind it. If there is, we will leave it as it is; if there is not, I undertake to come back and do something about it in the Bill.
As regards the five and seven days, the noble Baroness is right. The extra 48 hours are for us to be able to move someone from a port. Say he has come in to Heathrow and we know that there is a flight we can get for him, but it is 24 hours away, it would be madness to transfer him to some other facility after five days and then have to move him back again. The period is five days absolutely, but the seven days are because there is a 48-hour period when we know a person will go on a flight. That is how we have arrived at that seven-day period.
I am sorry that that was a rather unsatisfactory answer on the first matter. I will take it forward in the way that I said. I hope that on that basis the noble Baroness will be happy to withdraw her amendment.
Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Bill [HL]
Proceeding contribution from
Lord West of Spithead
(Labour)
in the House of Lords on Wednesday, 25 March 2009.
It occurred during Debate on bills on Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Bill [HL].
Type
Proceeding contribution
Reference
709 c698-9 
Session
2008-09
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