G20 and the Paris Attacks

Baroness Oppenheim-Barnes Excerpts

Tuesday 17th November 2015 Lords Chamber

[Lord Avebury (LD)]

My Lords—

[Baroness Oppenheim-Barnes (Con)]

My Lords—

[Baroness Stowell of Beeston]

My noble friend has been trying to get in from the very beginning.

[Baroness Oppenheim-Barnes]

My Lords, although tiptoeing across some very dangerous ground, I should like to expand on what the noble Lord, Lord Grocott, said, which I endorse wholeheartedly. Among all the difficult problems that the EU has to consider at present, surely it must now be a priority for it to consider the question of having open borders—both the extent to which they exist today and the extent to which they facilitated the dreadful scenes in France that we have all witnessed.

[Baroness Stowell of Beeston]

Clearly, borders are a very important issue. As I have already said, we as a Government are pleased that we retain control of our borders. I am sure that this matter will be discussed again by the European leaders. My right honourable friend the Home Secretary will be at a justice and home affairs special meeting at the end of this week and I imagine that this will be very much a part of the discussions there.