Clause 4
Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Bill [Lords]
12:00 pm
Damian Green (Shadow Minister, Home Affairs; Ashford, Conservative)
I am grateful to the Minister for his explanation, although he is being dangerously provocative when he suggests that we tabled the amendment because we could not think of anything else. If he is challenging me to find amendments on clauses for which we have not yet found amendments, he can rest assured that we can be extremely fertile in that field if necessary. As ever, Sir Nicholas, you can be reassured that I seek only to improve the legislation. There are clauses that are improved by amending and clauses on which we are happy to have a clause stand part debate.
I take the Minister’s point that there are things that the Executive should do and things that the legislature should do. Nevertheless, it is worth making the general point that the balance between the Executive and the legislature is out of joint and, in a sense, it is relatively easy for people to make the statement that we need grand schemes of reform to change it, but often it is the use of the process that does not work. It is in the detailed scrutiny of Bills that the legislature can make some difference, but we seek to do so not often enough, and that is part of the problem. I appreciate that I am now treading towards the tram lines of what is acceptable, so I beg to ask leave to withdraw the amendment.