Member

There is now a crackdown on illegal working. I can say to my noble friend that in the past year approximately 9,000 people have been arrested on the basis of illegal working; this includes some asylum seekers. It is an important issue that we take seriously. It is one that undermines legitimate businesses. We have this order in front of us today, and it is important that noble Lords recognise that illegal working damages the economy, damages businesses and leads to people being exploited. I therefore welcome the support for those measures from the Opposition Front Bench and former Ministers on the Opposition Benches.