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Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Bill [HL]

I am not entirely happy with the terms in which the noble Lord has answered this debate. Volunteering is, by its nature, a local activity. It takes place within local communities and you are likely to operate, quite often, with local charities. I was thinking, as I sat down, of the Rylstone Women’s Institute, which I happen to know well. Indeed, my wife has autographs of all the leading members of the Rylstone Women’s Institute from when it first produced a calendar. Noble Lords will know how well it did with that calendar. It is not, except by several degrees, a national organisation; it is very much rooted in the local community. To say that the border agency is a national agency and will therefore deal with larger charities rings all sorts of alarm bells. I recall that, when I was engaged in the Offender Management Bill last year, the Government talked again about larger voluntary organisations. It is much more convenient to handle larger organisations than to deal with little local bodies that get in the way. The Conservative Party is these days converted to localism, at least in principle. If we are trying to get active citizenship off the ground at the local level, we must find a better way of doing it. That is my first point. Secondly, the noble Lord has not answered the question about the laxity of the drafting of Clause 39(2), which allows the Minister to increase, as well as to reduce, the qualifying period for citizenship. Unless that is tightened up considerably, so that very careful procedures are required before a change is made, we are minded to divide on that on Report. As it stands, it is clearly not satisfactory.