§ Lord Lester of Herne Hillasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will publish the instructions and guidance given to officials in central and local government to strengthen immigration control and to prevent those temporarily or illegally in the United Kingdom from receiving state benefits to which they should not be entitled; and if not, why not.
§ Baroness BlatchThe content of the guidance and instructions has yet to be finalised. Some of the detail is dependent upon the outcome of the consultation processes with the Commission for Racial Equality, the local authority associations and the Data Protection Registrar. It will ultimately be the responsibility of each government department concerned to reach a decision on disclosure of its internal instructions when final arrangements have been agreed. In reaching a decision, each department will assess whether disclosure of any of the material would harm the proper and efficient conduct of its operations. On completion of the consultation with the local authority associations, copies of guidance issued to local authorities will be placed in the Library.