Member

I fully understand the passion that my noble friend brings to this issue and the history of his own experience, and I cannot be anything other than compelled by it. Every Government will have empathy for those objectives. However, I have to say to him that there is no consensus on how people would use this route. Public statistics on the family reunion route have shown that the number of individuals using it has significantly increased over the years, which has led to greater pressure on local services. But it also means that the route has worked. To ignore the impact on numbers and the associated financial and operational pressures would be to overlook significant areas of challenge for this Government.