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Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Bill

My Lords, I agree about using plain English, partly because there are lots of words in the English dictionary that, sadly, I do not know. The noble Baroness’s noble friend Lord Brooke usually uses several such words in his contributions and I have to rush away later and discover what they mean. However, I checked the word, precisely for the reasons which the noble Lord, Lord Avebury, and the noble Baroness, Lady Carnegy of Lour, indicated as being important. They are important to me, too. We need to use this word because it has a resonance which brings clarity to this legislation. The need for clarity is absolute. We do not want there to be any lack of it. My best and strongest advice is that this is the appropriate word to use in these circumstances. I argue for clarity every time: I have received at least one other note from parliamentary counsel on another issue where I have thought about plain English. I said that the word is new to me, but I am reassured by my legal team and my parliamentary consultants that, in this context, the word will be of great value because it is absolutely clear. I hope that the noble Lord will accept the amendment on that basis.