My Lords, I thank everyone who has taken part in this debate, particularly the Minister who defended her department exactly as we expected. It was, if I may say so, not exactly the flavour of the debate. She said precious little about the 1,000 foreign prisoners, the illegal immigrants, the scene at the open...

My Lords, I thank everyone who has taken part in this debate, particularly the Minister who defended her department exactly as we expected. It was, if I may say so, not exactly the flavour of the debate. She said precious little about the 1,000 foreign prisoners, the illegal immigrants, the scene at the open...

My Lords, I join my voice to all those who have commended the noble Lord, Lord Fowler, for introducing this debate. I thank him, in particular, for the kind compliments that he made to me. I assure him that if, when I am no longer privileged to represent the Government at the Dispatch Box, he...

My Lords, I join my voice to all those who have commended the noble Lord, Lord Fowler, for introducing this debate. I thank him, in particular, for the kind compliments that he made to me. I assure him that if, when I am no longer privileged to represent the Government at the Dispatch Box, he...

My Lords, I, too, congratulate my noble friend on initiating this debate. The Home Office faces a serious crisis. It has been the subject of extensive criticism. To say that is nothing new; criticisms have been levelled for decades. What is different this time round is, first, the scale of...

My Lords, I, too, congratulate my noble friend on initiating this debate. The Home Office faces a serious crisis. It has been the subject of extensive criticism. To say that is nothing new; criticisms have been levelled for decades. What is different this time round is, first, the scale of...

My Lords, we owe a debt of gratitude to my noble friend Lord Fowler for giving us this opportunity to consider some of the disastrous failures by the Home Office in recent weeks. They have cost the Home Secretary his job, which he had been in for only 16 months. But the problems...

My Lords, we owe a debt of gratitude to my noble friend Lord Fowler for giving us this opportunity to consider some of the disastrous failures by the Home Office in recent weeks. They have cost the Home Secretary his job, which he had been in for only 16 months. But the problems...

My Lords, I also thank my noble friend Lord Fowler for giving the House this timely opportunity to consider the role of the Home Office, which has been engulfed by a series of crises in recent months. It is a great department of state and it should maintain internal peace and order...

My Lords, I also thank my noble friend Lord Fowler for giving the House this timely opportunity to consider the role of the Home Office, which has been engulfed by a series of crises in recent months. It is a great department of state and it should maintain internal peace and order...

My Lords, I add my thanks to the noble Lord, Lord Fowler, for securing this debate. I do not in any way underestimate how much the Home Office is in turmoil today. The events of the past few weeks are a clear demonstration that all is not well. Many of us remember that...

My Lords, I add my thanks to the noble Lord, Lord Fowler, for securing this debate. I do not in any way underestimate how much the Home Office is in turmoil today. The events of the past few weeks are a clear demonstration that all is not well. Many of us remember that...

My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Fowler, for initiating this worthwhile and timely debate. His experience in these matters is hard to match in longevity or depth. The Home Office is one of the great departments of state. Many distinguished people have held the post, not just of...

My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Fowler, for initiating this worthwhile and timely debate. His experience in these matters is hard to match in longevity or depth. The Home Office is one of the great departments of state. Many distinguished people have held the post, not just of...

My Lords, I thank the noble Lord, Lord Fowler, for giving us the opportunity to debate Home Office issues. I congratulate him on responding to his leader’s call earlier in the week to stop dumping on the public sector and on not making the same mistake as the leader of his party, who...

My Lords, I thank the noble Lord, Lord Fowler, for giving us the opportunity to debate Home Office issues. I congratulate him on responding to his leader’s call earlier in the week to stop dumping on the public sector and on not making the same mistake as the leader of his party, who...

rose to call attention to the role of the Home Office; and to move for Papers. The noble Lord said: My Lords, there could hardly be a more relevant time to debate the role of the Home Office, given the events of the past few months. I am delighted that the noble...

rose to call attention to the role of the Home Office; and to move for Papers. The noble Lord said: My Lords, there could hardly be a more relevant time to debate the role of the Home Office, given the events of the past few months. I am delighted that the noble...

My Lords, I suppose I have to declare an interest in this subject, because for five and a half years I worked in the Home Office as a Crown official. I congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Fowler, on obtaining this debate on a subject of great importance, and that is not just repaying the kind...

My Lords, I suppose I have to declare an interest in this subject, because for five and a half years I worked in the Home Office as a Crown official. I congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Fowler, on obtaining this debate on a subject of great importance, and that is not just repaying the kind...

My Lords, it is a pleasure to follow the noble Lord, Lord Ramsbotham. He and I have known each other for many years. In his previous guise we overlapped directly in relation to prisons in Northern Ireland, when I was the chairman of the Select Committee for the Province and he appeared as...

My Lords, it is a pleasure to follow the noble Lord, Lord Ramsbotham. He and I have known each other for many years. In his previous guise we overlapped directly in relation to prisons in Northern Ireland, when I was the chairman of the Select Committee for the Province and he appeared as...

Lords debate on motion to call attention to the role of the Home Office. Motion withdrawn.

Lords debate on motion to call attention to the role of the Home Office. Motion withdrawn.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of aliens in the country who are removable but are not required to sign on regularly at his Department or at police stations.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of aliens in the country who are removable but are not required to sign on regularly at his Department or at police stations.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the feasibility of removing all those individuals in the country who do not have leave to remain but who have not yet had removal action taken against them.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the feasibility of removing all those individuals in the country who do not have leave to remain but who have not yet had removal action taken against them.