Clause 15 - Electronic monitoring
Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants, etc.) Bill
2:30 pm
Mr Mark Oaten (Winchester, Liberal Democrat)
I welcome you to this afternoon's sitting, Mrs. Roe. I do not intend to detain the Committee for long on these amendments. They are probing amendments designed to find out the Government's intentions for electronic tagging. In keeping with the spirit of co-operation from the Minister, I accept that I cannot have my cake and eat it.
If we had had a chance to debate clause 14, I would have pointed out that I prefer the forced removal process to some of the Government's suggestions as laid out in clause 7. I do not have difficulties with the suggestions in clauses 14 and 15. There should be greater use of electronic monitoring, or tagging, in the general criminal justice system as an alternative to sending people to prison. I have no problems with the Government's intentions, but I want to highlight concerns, and I hope that the Minister can provide clarification.
I remind the Committee that we are discussing the possibility of tagging—I shall call it that rather than electronic monitoring because it is easier—for people who have not been convicted of a crime. It is important to establish and to recognise that there is a difference between the conventional use of tagging and the forms of tagging being suggested in this case. Will the Minister clarify in what situations the Government would suggest using tagging? For example, how often does she think that tagging will be used for residence restrictions, reporting restrictions, or to enforce conditions of immigration bail? Tagging could be acceptable for use in some scenarios more than others, such as reporting restrictions.
Have the Home Office considered alternatives to tagging? For example, voice connection would be a sensible way to achieve the same aim without using tagging. A requirement to phone in using voice recognition technology—a recognised form of technology—might achieve the same aim. Similarly, we could employ the kind of tagging used for home curfews, for example, between 7 pm and 7 am, rather than full conventional tagging. Is the Minister suggesting a move to new forms of technology, such as satellite tagging, which could track down and trace individuals 24 hours a day?
As I said, these are probing amendments intended to establish in which categories the use of tagging is envisaged, and to ask whether forms of technology other than full tagging could achieve the same aim.
Finally, powers exist under immigration law to allow the Home Secretary to detain individuals if there are extreme concerns. What does the Minister intend to achieve through the powers in clause 15 that could not be achieved through existing powers of detention?