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Lord Sassoon: My Lords, I have given the total employment numbers, which will rise in every year of the forecast period. The issue of jobs in the public
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Lord Bilimoria: My Lords, I am sure that the Minister would agree, as many do, that cuts are essential. Are the Government worried that increasing tax rises could hamper growth and lead to a double-dip recession? Do they genuinely believe that they are doing enough to generate the growth, particularly among SMEs, that is desperately required?
Lord Sassoon: My Lords, I thank the noble Lord, Lord Bilimoria, for reinforcing again the importance of growth. I stress that the overall Budget package includes a substantial number of measures that are intended to encourage growth by taking nearly a million people out of tax at the bottom end of the income scale and therefore encouraging them into jobs; by substantial reversals of the previous Government's package on national insurance contributions; by having a regional element to the holiday on national insurance for young businesses; by ensuring that the capital gains tax provisions are sensitive to the needs of entrepreneurship; and, fundamentally, by reducing the corporation tax burden on companies through our reform of corporation tax, which will enable us to have the most competitive corporation tax regimes in the developed economies.
Immigration: Deportation of Iraqis
Question
3.13 pm
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will suspend the deportation of Iraqis until the fate of those already deported is known.
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Howell of Guildford): My Lords, we have been informed by the Iraqi authorities that all those returned on 9 June have been released following routine identity checks. Of the 42 returnees on the flight of 16 June, 30 have been released and the remaining 12 are expected to be released soon. There are no plans to suspend enforced returns to Iraq, but we will continue to monitor the situation.
Lord Dholakia: My Lords, I thank my noble friend for that Answer. Amnesty International, the UNHCR and refugee organisations in this country are seriously concerned about the enforced deportation of failed asylum seekers. The UK Border Agency uses the in-country report that has identified at least five areas where there will be serious repercussions if deportees are sent there. In the light of what has been said, and
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Lord Howell of Guildford: My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord. I am advised that the UK Border Agency's professional standards unit is investigating what occurred on these occasions. There is no evidence of mistreatment: indeed, senior UK Border Agency officials were on the flight and saw everything that happened. We are satisfied that the position is being investigated and we believe that we should continue with both voluntary and enforced returns of those for whom no further protection is needed here.
Lord Alton of Liverpool: My Lords, will the Minister accept that members of religious minority groups such as the Chaldeans and the Yazidis who have been sent back to Iraq have faced assassination and kidnappings? Will he explain to the House what motivated his department to set to one side the evidence of the UNHCR and its statement, referred to by the noble Lord, Lord Dholakia, that at present it is not safe to return such people to Iraq?
Lord Howell of Guildford: There is a disagreement over this because the procedure we have employed is to study individuals case by case, each on its merits. We take extreme care to ensure that no mistreatment occurs-or if it does occur it is investigated. The UNHCR is starting from a different viewpoint: it is looking at the overall return of Iraqis from all over Europe, including from this country. It is looking at some of the central regions of Iraq, which are extremely dangerous. Most of our returnees go to Kurdistan where they are safe. Therefore, we are satisfied that it is safe for those who are here illegally, or are failed asylum seekers, or are convicted criminals, to be returned to the country from which they come.
Lord Eden of Winton: My Lords, while watching the fate of those deported to Iraq, will my noble friend keep a careful watch on those Iraqis who are incarcerated in Ashraf city inside Iraq to ensure that any who are forcibly moved from that location are pursued with the same vigour as he is demonstrating in this case?
Lord Howell of Guildford: My Lords, I can reassure my noble friend that we are watching that situation very carefully. Obviously, our powers are limited, as are our powers over the Iraqi Government, who are a sovereign Government of a respected nation who we want to see recover, treat and deal with those returning to their country. They are entitled to their own procedures. However, as regards the Ashraf issue, which is a very difficult one, we will watch the matter very closely indeed.
Lord Dubs: My Lords, does the Minister agree that the concerns about the safety and well-being of Iraqis returned to Iraq is not simply related to what happens
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Lord Howell of Guildford: The answer is that we monitor it as closely as we possible can. The noble Lord will appreciate that there are bound to be some limitations on the detailed monitoring and tracking of every individual, but through the UK Border Agency and its standard procedures we seek to track the situation as closely as possible.
Baroness Afshar: My Lords, is it not the case that in the absence of the close monitoring of returnees, the UNHCR is one of the few organisations that is sufficiently well connected to follow up where people go, particularly in Kurdistan which is highly divided on a tribal basis and where it is almost impossible for any foreign agency to have enough information unless it comes internally? The inability to follow what happens to individuals who are returned means that all kinds of blood feuds that might have been quietened during the person's absence rekindle and begin again. We need to know that there is long-term security for people who have sought asylum in this country.
Lord Howell of Guildford: Of course we appreciate the very difficult history of Kurdistan and the rest of Iraq, but it is the judgment of the agency and of the independent courts that, at this time, the signs are that Kurdistan is coming together more, that it is a less unstable country, that there is evidence of growth, peace and development and that it is safe to return people who no longer need our protection and should not have been here in the first place.
Lord Avebury: My Lords, my noble friend the Minister has mentioned Kurdistan twice. Am I correct in saying that of the 42 people on the recent flight which has been the subject of adverse publicity, 36 were Kurds, and the reason why they were sent back to Pakistan was the temporary suspension of flights to Erbil by the Kurdish regional authorities? Will my noble friend ask the Foreign Office to make inquiries as to why the KRG suspended deportations to Erbil, and will he attempt to get the resumption of those flights, as otherwise people of Kurdish origin will find themselves stranded in Baghdad and unable to get home?
Lord Howell of Guildford: My noble friend is absolutely right: normally, the majority of Kurds would have gone straight to Erbil. We have already asked why those flights were suspended and how they can be resumed at an early stage. In the mean time, the deportees were going through Baghdad and then on to Erbil. That is why some of them were delayed. It appears that although they were given money, they said that they did not have the resources to pay for the further flight. My noble friend is absolutely right: it is to Kurdistan that the majority were destined.
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Communications Committee
Membership Motion
3.20 pm
Moved by The Chairman of Committees
That a Select Committee be appointed to consider the media and the creative industries and that, as proposed by the Committee of Selection, the following members be appointed to the Committee:
L Clement-Jones, B Deech, L Dixon-Smith, B Fookes, L Gordon of Strathblane, L Macdonald of Tradeston , E Onslow (Chairman), L Razzall, L St John of Bletso, L Skelmersdale;
That the evidence taken by the Committee in the last session of Parliament be referred to the Committee;
Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe: My Lords, I apologise to the Chairman of Committees that I did not give him prior notice, but it is only when I saw the paucity of business on the Order Paper today that I felt moved to raise a question about the Economic Affairs Committee. It seems outrageous-
The Chairman of Committees (Lord Brabazon of Tara): If the noble Lord wants to raise a question about the Economic Affairs Committee, I shall, if I may, first move the first two Motions standing in my name on the Order Paper.
Lord Dubs: My Lords, I apologise to the Chairman of Committees that I did not give him prior notice. It is not that I object to any name on any of these committees, but is there a likelihood that this House will move toward electing the chairs and members of our Select Committees?
The Chairman of Committees: That is another question. It has nothing to do with today's business, but it is being looked at. The Leader of the House has made an announcement about a review of our practices, and that will no doubt be included in that. Perhaps I can come back to the noble Lord, Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe, in a moment, when we come to the Economic Affairs Committee. I will answer his question then.
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Earl Ferrers: Before we leave that point, if the noble Lord, the Lord Chairman, says that that is being looked at, will he ensure that what is looked at is whether they are chairmen of committees, not chairs?
Constitution Committee
Membership Motion
3.23 pm
Moved by The Chairman of Committees
That a Select Committee be appointed to examine the constitutional implications of all public bills coming before the House; and to keep under review the operation of the constitution;
That, as proposed by the Committee of Selection, the following members be appointed to the Committee:
L Crickhowell, B Falkner of Margravine, L Goldsmith, L Hart of Chilton, L Irvine of Lairg, B Jay of Paddington (Chairman), L Norton of Louth , L Pannick, L Powell of Bayswater, L Renton of Mount Harry, L Rodgers of Quarry Bank, L Shaw of Northstead;
That the evidence taken by the Committee in the last session of Parliament be referred to the Committee;
Economic Affairs Committee
Membership Motion
3.24 pm
Moved by The Chairman of Committees
That a Select Committee be appointed to consider economic affairs and that, as proposed by the Committee of Selection, the following members be appointed to the Committee:
L Best, L Currie of Marylebone, L Forsyth of Drumlean, L Hollick, B Kingsmill, L Lawson of Blaby, L Levene of Portsoken, L Lipsey, L MacGregor of Pulham Market (Chairman), L Maclennan of Rogart, L Moonie, L Smith of Clifton, L Tugendhat;
That the Committee have power to appoint a sub-committee and to refer to it any of the matters within the Committee's terms of reference; that the Committee have power to appoint the Chairman of the sub-committee;
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That the evidence taken by the Committee in the last session of Parliament be referred to the Committee;
That the evidence taken by the Committee or its sub-committee shall, if the Committee so wishes, be published.
Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe: My Lords, I think that the Motion will be agreed to in due course. I do not raise a question about the names of those who are nominated; I raise a question about the terms of reference under which the committee operates. I find it staggering that we have such an assembly today with such a paucity of business on the agenda. We have a Budget announcement today. We have a new Leader of the House who, when he was in opposition, consistently argued that there should be an opportunity for a debate on Budgets. As budgetary issues will be the major topic that the country will face for the coming years, at least the Economic Affairs Committee should look at that topic to see whether there are means whereby the expertise, skills, knowledge and experience that we have in this House can be brought to bear occasionally with a debate on the Budget. I trust that the Chairman of Committees will take that back and, I hope, make an amendment in due course.
The Chairman of Committees (Lord Brabazon of Tara): I am glad to say that the arrangement of business is not a matter for me, but I am sure that the usual channels will have heard the points that the noble Lord, Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe, made. I am only disappointed that the noble Lord, Lord Pearson of Rannoch, the leader of the UK Independence Party, is not here to raise a question on the European Union Committee. I am disappointed that he has failed to appear this year. Nevertheless, other noble Lords have made up very well for his absence.
With the leave of the House, I beg to move that the Motion be agreed to.
European Union Committee
Membership Motion
3.26 pm
Moved By The Chairman of Committees
(1) To consider European Union documents deposited in the House by a Minister, and other matters relating to the European Union;
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(a) a document submitted by an institution of the European Union to another institution and put by either into the public domain;
(c) a draft decision relating to the Common Foreign and Security Policy of the European Union under Title V of the Treaty on European Union;
The Committee may waive the requirement to deposit a document, or class of documents, by agreement with the European Scrutiny Committee of the House of Commons:
(2) To assist the House in relation to the procedure for the submission of Reasoned Opinions under Article 5 of the Treaty on European Union and the Protocol on the application of the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality;
(3) To represent the House as appropriate in interparliamentary cooperation within the European Union;
That, as proposed by the Committee of Selection, the following members be appointed to the Committee:
L Bowness, L Carter of Coles, L Dear, L Dykes, L Hannay of Chiswick, L Harrison, B Howarth of Breckland, L Jopling, B O'Cathain , L Paul, L Plumb, L Richard, L Roper (Chairman), E Sandwich, B Sharp of Guildford, L Teverson, L Tomlinson, L Trimble, B Young of Hornsey;
That the Committee have power to appoint sub-committees and to refer to them any matters within its terms of reference; that the Committee have power to appoint the Chairmen of sub-committees, but that the sub-committees have power to appoint their own Chairmen for the purpose of particular inquiries; that the quorum of each sub-committee be two;
That the evidence taken by the Committee or its sub-committees in the last session of Parliament be referred to the Committee or its sub-committees;
That the evidence taken by the Committee or its sub-committees shall, if the Committee so wishes, be published.
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