Lord Cameron of Lochiel (Con)

My Lords, I thank the Minister for moving this statutory instrument. It is part of an incredibly important discourse surrounding an extremely pressing issue, and any chance to debate how we might rectify the current immigration situation is welcome. Nations cannot survive without sovereign control of their borders; for that sovereignty, a nation needs the means to exact border control. I do not want to ventilate arguments that have already been made, most recently during the debates on the borders Bill in your Lordships’ House; they will be well known, as will the position of the Official Opposition. It is our view that the Government do not currently possess the correct policy for border control. As a result, the British public are now facing waves of illegal immigration on their shores. Like much of the Government’s legislation on immigration, in particular illegal migration, we have grave doubts that this instrument will be effective in enabling the Government to sanction traffickers. However, although those facilitating illegal migration into our country should rightly be punished—for that reason, we will not oppose this Motion—I ask the Minister: does he really believe that this measure will assist in halting the growing crisis? I want to make some very specific points; there will be some overlap with the pertinent points already made by the noble Lord, Lord Verdirame, and the noble Baroness, Lady Hamwee. First, those who are trafficking migrants on to our shores often do not reside in the United Kingdom. They operate in a deeply underground and illicit trade. There is little to no chance of them seeking to join a legitimate company in this country, let alone set up or become a director of one—something that this instrument prevents. Secondly, financial sanctions will have little effect on those operating illegally. They do not act through legitimate routes and, therefore, neither does a large proportion of their money. Does the Minister have an estimate on the extent to which these sanctions will deter people from migrating illegally? There is even a risk that measures such as these will not stop attempts to cross the channel and borders but will instead force the criminal gangs further underground into less safe routes; I am not saying that this will necessarily be the case, but it would be reassuring to hear from the Minister that the Government have at least accounted for that possibility. I welcome the expansion of the criteria under which a person may be considered involved with illegal migration. We have, for too long, been too lax on those who aid and abet these crimes. An expansion of the scope of those considered accomplices is needed. In conclusion, it is our belief that this issue needs far more thorough measures to be resolved. Attempting to punish those facilitating this crime may be an appropriate measure, but it is certainly not sufficient in and of itself.