Clause 102 - Police, &c. Question proposed, That the clause stand part of the Bill.
Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Bill
3:15 pm
Mr Simon Hughes (North Southwark and Bermondsey, Liberal Democrat)
That was a perfectly reasonable addition, if I may say so. The Minister is, of course, right about the need for discretion. I was not suggesting otherwise, but merely wanted to discover whether certain preconditions applied.
It would be useful to know at an appropriate point in our proceedings how many applications were made over the previous five years and how many were turned down on the basis of failing the good character test. Does the Home Secretary use a general guideline to determine whether people who have been turned down once on good character grounds should be able to apply again? Are guidelines available to apply certain standards? Could someone pass the test on a second application, having been turned down on the first?