asked Her Majesty's Government:What representations they received from the British Dental Association regarding the use of dental X-rays to assist in determining the age of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children; and whether they will place copies of this and other representations on this subject in the Library of the House, together with...

asked Her Majesty's Government:What representations they received from the British Dental Association regarding the use of dental X-rays to assist in determining the age of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children; and whether they will place copies of this and other representations on this subject in the Library of the House, together with...

To ask the Secretary of State for Health by what date he expects to set the timetable awaited by the West Kent Primary Care Trust for the submission and consideration by his Department of the trust’s bid for community hospital capital funding of a new X-ray machine at Edenbridge Hospital.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health by what date he expects to set the timetable awaited by the West Kent Primary Care Trust for the submission and consideration by his Department of the trust’s bid for community hospital capital funding of a new X-ray machine at Edenbridge Hospital.

We are getting close to the cut-off time. We consulted and we have heard their comments, so we are well aware of those issues. I do not like the implication that somehow we failed to consult extensively because we have.

We are getting close to the cut-off time. We consulted and we have heard their comments, so we are well aware of those issues. I do not like the implication that somehow we failed to consult extensively because we have.

I was in the process of winding up, and I hope that we can bring this matter to a conclusion. Before we leave universities altogether, like the noble Baroness, Lady Carnegy, I have read the papers and looked at the consultation, and I am perfectly well aware of what the...

I was in the process of winding up, and I hope that we can bring this matter to a conclusion. Before we leave universities altogether, like the noble Baroness, Lady Carnegy, I have read the papers and looked at the consultation, and I am perfectly well aware of what the...

That is a constructive and helpful response from the Minister. On the understanding that we shall be clear about what happened in those discussions before we come to Report, I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

That is a constructive and helpful response from the Minister. On the understanding that we shall be clear about what happened in those discussions before we come to Report, I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

As I have said before in our deliberations, I have no alternative but to withdraw the amendment in these proceedings. We could debate this at great length. I thank the noble Lords, Lord Avebury and Lord Hylton, for their interventions. To the noble Lord, Lord Hylton, I simply would say...

As I have said before in our deliberations, I have no alternative but to withdraw the amendment in these proceedings. We could debate this at great length. I thank the noble Lords, Lord Avebury and Lord Hylton, for their interventions. To the noble Lord, Lord Hylton, I simply would say...

moved Amendment No. 41: 41: After Clause 20, insert the following new Clause— ““Appeal rights In section 83(1)(b) of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 (c. 41) (appeal: asylum claims) omit the words ““for a period exceeding one year (or for periods exceeding one year in aggregate)””.”” The noble...

moved Amendment No. 41: 41: After Clause 20, insert the following new Clause— ““Appeal rights In section 83(1)(b) of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 (c. 41) (appeal: asylum claims) omit the words ““for a period exceeding one year (or for periods exceeding one year in aggregate)””.”” The noble...

moved Amendment No. 37: 37: After Clause 20, insert the following new Clause— ““Children (1) The Secretary of State shall issue a code of practice designed to ensure that in exercising functions in the United Kingdom the Border and Immigration Agency takes appropriate steps to ensure that while children are...

moved Amendment No. 37: 37: After Clause 20, insert the following new Clause— ““Children (1) The Secretary of State shall issue a code of practice designed to ensure that in exercising functions in the United Kingdom the Border and Immigration Agency takes appropriate steps to ensure that while children are...

I warmly congratulate my noble friend Lord Goodhart on his ingenuity in bringing what is effectively a nationality problem within the ambit of the Long Title of this Bill which is concerned with immigration. In the British Nationality Act 1948, a child born overseas to a British mother and a...

I warmly congratulate my noble friend Lord Goodhart on his ingenuity in bringing what is effectively a nationality problem within the ambit of the Long Title of this Bill which is concerned with immigration. In the British Nationality Act 1948, a child born overseas to a British mother and a...

I have carefully avoided saying just that.

I have carefully avoided saying just that.

I take it from that that the noble Baroness agrees with all that the noble Lord said, and that it is official Conservative Front Bench policy. I was hoping to find out whether that was the case.

I take it from that that the noble Baroness agrees with all that the noble Lord said, and that it is official Conservative Front Bench policy. I was hoping to find out whether that was the case.

The noble Lord could come to it now.

The noble Lord could come to it now.

I think the noble Lord is trying to help me to get to the point. There will always be a difficulty with a boundary or a cut-off point, wherever it is placed. That is an issue. The noble Lord, Lord Goodhart, made the point that we can minimise the element...

I think the noble Lord is trying to help me to get to the point. There will always be a difficulty with a boundary or a cut-off point, wherever it is placed. That is an issue. The noble Lord, Lord Goodhart, made the point that we can minimise the element...

The noble Lord is asking me to describe the basis of the original discrimination. We accept that that discrimination was there, which is why we made the changes. No doubt that is why the Conservative Party dealt with it in the way that it did back in 1983. It was...

The noble Lord is asking me to describe the basis of the original discrimination. We accept that that discrimination was there, which is why we made the changes. No doubt that is why the Conservative Party dealt with it in the way that it did back in 1983. It was...

We are all struggling to hear from the Minister the virtue that attaches to 1961. If he were able to give the Committee a justification for that date, he might assist not only the Committee but, I suspect, the House at a later stage. I have this foreboding that this...

We are all struggling to hear from the Minister the virtue that attaches to 1961. If he were able to give the Committee a justification for that date, he might assist not only the Committee but, I suspect, the House at a later stage. I have this foreboding that this...

Perhaps I should start by talking about the cut-off point. I tried to explain earlier in my speech why I did not go back to before 1 January 1949. The reason is that, until that date, the great majority of British women who married foreigners would have acquired their husband’s...

Perhaps I should start by talking about the cut-off point. I tried to explain earlier in my speech why I did not go back to before 1 January 1949. The reason is that, until that date, the great majority of British women who married foreigners would have acquired their husband’s...

I would be very happy if I thought that the circumstances made it plainly desirable to dispense with one. I simply think that giving British citizenship to the child of a couple, neither of whom had British citizenship on the date of the child’s birth, would present serious problems and...

I would be very happy if I thought that the circumstances made it plainly desirable to dispense with one. I simply think that giving British citizenship to the child of a couple, neither of whom had British citizenship on the date of the child’s birth, would present serious problems and...

First, rule number one is never look a gift horse in the mouth. Secondly, I have heard all sides of the Committee on this. Thirdly, I have drawn the conclusion that we ought at least to have an all-party discussion on it to see if there is some way to...

First, rule number one is never look a gift horse in the mouth. Secondly, I have heard all sides of the Committee on this. Thirdly, I have drawn the conclusion that we ought at least to have an all-party discussion on it to see if there is some way to...

There was an interesting discussion on a very similar amendment in the Public Bill Committee on 15 March. The Minister, Joan Ryan, said then that there would be reports to Parliament on the operation not only of Clause 19 but of every other clause, and that the independent inspectorate would...

There was an interesting discussion on a very similar amendment in the Public Bill Committee on 15 March. The Minister, Joan Ryan, said then that there would be reports to Parliament on the operation not only of Clause 19 but of every other clause, and that the independent inspectorate would...

The noble Lord challenges us over universities. I am prepared to accept that there might be something of a mixed picture in terms of overseas applicants to UK universities, but I think that the case is broadly that we are competitive and we have been extremely successful over the past...

The noble Lord challenges us over universities. I am prepared to accept that there might be something of a mixed picture in terms of overseas applicants to UK universities, but I think that the case is broadly that we are competitive and we have been extremely successful over the past...

We have had an interesting short debate, covering monogamy, passport personal interview centres, replies by the recently ennobled Lord, the noble Lord, Lord West, and a plea for family reunion. It is amazing what can be squeezed into a Lords Committee debate. I congratulate noble Lords on their ingenuity. The...

We have had an interesting short debate, covering monogamy, passport personal interview centres, replies by the recently ennobled Lord, the noble Lord, Lord West, and a plea for family reunion. It is amazing what can be squeezed into a Lords Committee debate. I congratulate noble Lords on their ingenuity. The...

It is a bit difficult to do that because it would depend on the details of the implementation timetable, which we are giving further consideration to in our leisure hours. The noble Lord teases me about the Home Office, but it is a not-infrequent tease. It will not have escaped...

It is a bit difficult to do that because it would depend on the details of the implementation timetable, which we are giving further consideration to in our leisure hours. The noble Lord teases me about the Home Office, but it is a not-infrequent tease. It will not have escaped...

I am grateful to the Minister for his response. He told us that the arguments have not moved on, but went on to assure us that a regulatory impact assessment will be made by his department and copies of it will be placed in the Library. When is that likely...

I am grateful to the Minister for his response. He told us that the arguments have not moved on, but went on to assure us that a regulatory impact assessment will be made by his department and copies of it will be placed in the Library. When is that likely...

I follow the comments of the noble Lord, Lord Roberts of Llandudno. Do the figures quoted by the noble Lord, Lord West of Spithead, include both the capital costs of the new offices and the current cost of running them for a year? I do not know. I would dissent...

I follow the comments of the noble Lord, Lord Roberts of Llandudno. Do the figures quoted by the noble Lord, Lord West of Spithead, include both the capital costs of the new offices and the current cost of running them for a year? I do not know. I would dissent...

Far be it from me to come to the defence of Minister—that is not my job. This question is a long way wide of the amendment, which concerns the fees that a sponsor pays to bring someone into the United Kingdom. While it is perfectly legitimate for the Minister to...

Far be it from me to come to the defence of Minister—that is not my job. This question is a long way wide of the amendment, which concerns the fees that a sponsor pays to bring someone into the United Kingdom. While it is perfectly legitimate for the Minister to...

I think that the noble Lord gave figures for the years up to 2005. As he knows, the immigration statistics for 2006 are not yet published and are not due until August. It would be very useful if the noble Lord could give us the number of children whose age...

I think that the noble Lord gave figures for the years up to 2005. As he knows, the immigration statistics for 2006 are not yet published and are not due until August. It would be very useful if the noble Lord could give us the number of children whose age...

That is fine. There still seems to be a slight contradiction, but I will move on.

That is fine. There still seems to be a slight contradiction, but I will move on.

As a magistrate who has had to sit through many training sessions for paediatricians and who has gained by the experience, I think that I should speak up for them and say that they have to take account of a person’s nutritional background. There is malnutrition and abuse in this...

As a magistrate who has had to sit through many training sessions for paediatricians and who has gained by the experience, I think that I should speak up for them and say that they have to take account of a person’s nutritional background. There is malnutrition and abuse in this...

The noble Lord may say that, but in the consultation document on the process of age determination, there was no reference to the 1981 report. Therefore, I must be given leave to suspect that there are people in the Minister’s department who were not aware of its existence. That report...

The noble Lord may say that, but in the consultation document on the process of age determination, there was no reference to the 1981 report. Therefore, I must be given leave to suspect that there are people in the Minister’s department who were not aware of its existence. That report...

They will be published by the end of August.

They will be published by the end of August.

I hesitate to intervene, but I must, even though I know we are to finish dead on a quarter to eight. When I spoke, I very carefully referred to paediatricians in the family court. I was not referring to dental X-rays; I was talking about the science of interpretation of...

I hesitate to intervene, but I must, even though I know we are to finish dead on a quarter to eight. When I spoke, I very carefully referred to paediatricians in the family court. I was not referring to dental X-rays; I was talking about the science of interpretation of...

I know that the noble Lord has a great technical grasp of these matters, but I was arguing that paediatricians in this country are able to give informed interpretation of the information before them. As the Minister has said, the use of dental ionisation X-rays is just one part of...

I know that the noble Lord has a great technical grasp of these matters, but I was arguing that paediatricians in this country are able to give informed interpretation of the information before them. As the Minister has said, the use of dental ionisation X-rays is just one part of...

I am more than happy to give the noble Lord that assurance, if he feels that there are outstanding issues with regard to the appeals process. He has raised again the issue of discrimination, which he quite properly raised earlier. I am more than happy to say that between Committee...

I am more than happy to give the noble Lord that assurance, if he feels that there are outstanding issues with regard to the appeals process. He has raised again the issue of discrimination, which he quite properly raised earlier. I am more than happy to say that between Committee...

I made the point that the legacy that most of us now consider to be repugnant or otiose is one that cannot simply be ignored.

I made the point that the legacy that most of us now consider to be repugnant or otiose is one that cannot simply be ignored.

I shall come to the point later.

I shall come to the point later.