Ms Norah Parke:

On a point of information on the agents who were crucial in the recruitment of non-EEA personnel, certainly until recently, we feel we are victims of big generalisations. I do not want to do the same to the agents, particularly in Asia, but the business is renowned for bad practice and the exploitation of the people who would be put in touch with possible employers in this part of the world. The stories we have heard from that end of the business make what could possibly happen here pale into insignificance. That is not to say two wrongs make a right. That is not the case.

This has had quite an impact on how all this business has grown over the years. It would be well worth keeping in mind that this also needs to be investigated. At the last meeting of the Santa Marta Group in June, I spoke to the deputy director and he agreed with me wholeheartedly. The following week he was going to the South China Sea to investigate some of the bad practices there to determine whether those responsible could be prevented from supplying labour to Europe.