HC Deb 17 June 1971 vol 819 cc681-2
Mr. Maudling

I beg to move Amendment No. 67, in page 23, line 33, leave out '£200 'and insert' £400 '.

This again arises from a discussion in Committee. It is a question of the penalty for someone who knowingly harbours anyone who he knows or has reasonable cause for believing to be either an illegal entrant or a person who has committed an offence under section 24(1)(b) or (c) ". This is all part of the general picture of penalties against people involved in illegal trafficking in immigrants. The whole House will agree that traffic in immigrants is a very sorry traffic indeed. It involves people being brought here illegally, often at the expense of all their savings, and it often involves their being left here in destitute circumstances. Those who take part in this exercise deserve to be punished.

Subsection (2) makes it an offence knowingly to harbour an illegal entrant. The penalty provided is a fine of not more than £200. It was argued on both sides in Standing Committee that the fine should be increased in line with the fine of £400 in subsection (1). As my hon. Friend the Minister of State said, offences of this kind are usually relatively trivial, but it is for the court to decide in a particular case what the appropriate penalty is. We are merely prescribing the maximum fine.

As there was a view on both sides of the Committee that the fine should be increased from £200 to £400, we have tabled the Amendment to achieve that.

Amendment agreed to.

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