Brendan Ryan (Labour)

I am not wildly happy with No. 1. The phrase, "the efficient exchange of information with a view to dealing with terrorism" could mean many things. This matter has been referred to a committee, which must report back to the House by Wednesday, 29 June. It does not give me great hope that it will be thoroughly discussed anywhere and it seems to have fairly widespread ramifications. While I will not make a big issue of the matter, it should not slip through without comment. I would like to know the outcome of the committee's deliberations. If the committee produces a report, it should be circulated to Members, at least, before 29 June. I do not simply want confirmation that it has considered it, I also wish to know its conclusions.

One of the newspapers yesterday reported that 250 children who had arrived unaccompanied and were classified as asylum seekers are now missing. It is the single most horrendous occurrence I have come across in some time. Whatever about the intricacies and the position taken by the Minister, we all have a moral obligation when a child is in trouble. If a child runs out on the road we do not stand back and claim to have no legal responsibility. It is our moral responsibility to look after children anywhere. It is a scandal for 250 children who have come to this country to have gone missing and we do not know where they are. I call on the Leader to ask the Minister to come here and explain how it happened, why people forgot and why the children were placed in inappropriate accommodation with adults in many cases. As only 250 people are involved, the entire budget of the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform will not be consumed. This is about our human moral obligation to look after children because they come under our ambit. I understood we all accepted this and I hope we will do so in the future.

While I recognise that time during the remainder of the session is becoming scarce, we need to discuss the EU at some stage. The pathetic sight of the poorest countries in Europe offering to cut back on their aspirations in order to resolve a high political squabble or row between Britain and France is not exactly the spirit of the EU those of us who have been involved in it and prospered from it have come to expect. It is in a terrible mess.

I am extremely wary of the objectives of the United Kingdom, which I believe are to knock down many structures that have made the European Union distinctive and particularly its social model. We need a debate preferably on a day when our MEPs can attend. While I am not attempting to break the rules of the House, perhaps a Friday or a Monday would be best. We need a joint debate with our MEPs on this extremely serious matter. I appeal to the Leader to try to find time before we break up for the summer.