Clause 2 - Entering United Kingdom without passport
Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants, etc.) Bill
11:00 am
Mr Edward Garnier (Harborough, Conservative)
I do not dissent from that. Indeed, I accept the policy behind the clause, which is to prevent people from cheating the system by dishonestly destroying their travel documents. That is an acceptable end for the Government to want to achieve. However, I am concerned about a potential for injustice that is curable. The point of Committee discussions is to alert ourselves and the Government to niggles that ought to be ironed out before the Bill is enacted. I hope that the hon. Gentleman will agree that our present discussion is part of that process. We want to be able to leave this building once the Bill has received Royal Assent knowing that we have done something useful.
I should like to highlight further points where potential injustice lies. The maximum penalty of two years under subsection (7)(a) is not for indictment for illegal immigration, but for not being in possession of a document, which is quite a draconian penalty.
Beverley Hughes rose—