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Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Bill [HL]

The new clause gives us an opportunity to open up the question of the retention of biometric substances, fingerprinting falling within that, and I share the concerns of the noble Lord, Lord Avebury, about the fact that we have not yet responded to the European directive. I think that an order is coming up in the very near future, which I hope will indicate that we are about to take some suitable action. This clause relates to the fingerprinting of foreign criminals liable to automatic deportation. I want to ask the Minister, first, the reason for taking those fingerprints. I presume that it has something to do with stopping them coming back in. Secondly, how long is automatic deportation taking? We all know that a number of criminals are waiting to go. We are foxed at every turn, it seems, by the legal system. If their fingerprints have been taken and are still within our purview and control, I am not sure about the relevance of the fingerprinting to which the clause refers. Perhaps the Minister would be kind enough to tell us what is going on.