UK Parliament / Open data

Professional Qualifications Bill [HL]

My Lords, I thank all noble Lords for their contributions to this debate, which has been incredibly helpful. I particularly thank the noble Baroness, Lady Fraser of Craigmaddie, for introducing words like “whiff”, “processes” and “painless”. That is the whole point: this should be painless rather than putting things in people’s way. I thank the noble Lord, Lord Hunt of Kings Heath, who has noticed the similarity between expertise in the House of Lords and keeping the expertise in qualifications. I thank the noble Baroness, Lady McIntosh of Pickering, for her comments about making people welcome, and I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Finlay, for saying the same.

6.45 pm

My noble friend Lord Fox made some very important points to which I do not think we have had an answer. He asked about the warning and about what happens if someone takes new employment rather than simply continuing in their old one. The noble Baroness, Lady Finlay of Llandaff, embellished that by asking whether,

if they had never come to this country but had the qualifications before they came, they would still be allowed to be here. We need to know from the Minister whether the Home Office is gathering the data, what will happen if that data is needed and how we can use it. I can see a position in the future where there will be disputes, just as with Windrush and other matters, because the data was not collected at the time.

The noble Baroness, Lady Blake of Leeds, talked about people needing certainty and confidence. At the moment I do not think there is certainty and confidence in the Bill. Other noble Lords have added many more important points to the amendment, but all it asks is for the Bill to make it explicit that there are grandfather rights.

I hope the Government will accept this very modest but important amendment. I give notice that, if they do not accept it, I intend at this stage to pursue it on Report. I beg leave to withdraw the amendment.

Type
Proceeding contribution
Reference
812 cc1736-7 
Session
2021-22
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
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