Member

The noble Baroness and the noble Lord, Lord German, spoke in support of Amendment 95 and Amendment 190, which probe the onward use of data and would bar information from being used for immigration purposes if that information was provided by victims or witnesses of labour abuse and in connection with substance abuse. I understand those provisions, but the HMRC customs data and the DVLA trailer registration datasets, as covered by Clauses 27 to 31, referenced in the amendments, are, by their very nature, collected for specific purposes, as the noble Lord, Lord Harper, mentioned. These do not include information provided by victims or witnesses of labour abuse or in connection to such abuse. While lawful data and intelligence are already a key part of operational practice through the clauses of the Bill, we are seeking to expand the use of data and enhance, using modern data analytics and big data tools, so that the Government’s ability to identify risks and threats is there. Doing so will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of our response to that very unlawful activity regarding the movement of people and the movement of goods across the border that the Bill seeks to address.