Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Bill
10:38 am
Cheryl Gillan (Shadow Minister, (Assisted By Shadow Law Officers); Chesham and Amersham, Conservative)
May I echo the Minister's welcome to you, Sir Nicholas? May I also extend a welcome to Mr. Illsley with whom I believe you are Boxing and Coxing on this Committee?
I am grateful to the Minister for his remarks on the programme motion and for confirming that, as it stands, we have a workable agreement to take the Bill through its stages without any knives. I appreciate the fact that the Government have not put any knives into the proceedings at this stage. However, given the Bill's frontloading and the fact that new clauses have, albeit understandably, been added so late in the day, I reserve our position until we have had a chance to consider them and their implications more fully.
I hear what the Minister said about the extra two sittings. I hope that he will agree to extend any sittings if necessary to make normal progress on the Bill. I am also grateful to him for agreeing to produce copies of the Acts that were in short supply. There is a lesson there for the future. When we have a substantial piece of legislation, the related Acts need to be made available to hon. Members. I hope that that lacuna will shortly be filled. Will he therefore give us some idea of when the two Front-Bench spokesmen will receive copies of the Acts?
I have nothing more to add at this stage, although if at any stage during the Bill, the Programming Sub-Committee needs to reconvene to consider a further sittings motion, I will be very willing to participate so that we can adjust and fine-tune the timing.