Contributions
2,978 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDChannel Crossings in Small BoatsI join my hon. Friend in paying tribute to my hon. Friend the Member for Dover (Mrs Elphicke) for her tireless campaigning on this issue. She has done a huge amount of work in…02 Sept 2020HANSARDChannel Crossings in Small BoatsI shall try to be brief in my reply, Mr Speaker. The shadow Home Secretary asks why numbers are so high. Global migration has been growing strongly, and he will be aware that…02 Sept 2020HANSARDChannel Crossings in Small BoatsYes, I agree with my hon. Friend’s sentiments. We understand and share the anger that his constituents feel, and he is a very effective advocate for them. We are doing work at the…02 Sept 2020HANSARDChannel Crossings in Small BoatsOf course we agree that dealing with issues in source countries—economic issues and others—is a vital part of fixing this problem. Migration trends across the world, and into…02 Sept 2020HANSARDChannel Crossings in Small BoatsThere are dozens of investigations under way into these criminals who are facilitating illegal immigration. I have mentioned the 24 convictions and prison sentences given already…02 Sept 2020HANSARDChannel Crossings in Small BoatsMy hon. Friend raises a good and interesting point. I have already pointed out that the UK is scrupulous in discharging its obligations in international treaties to look after…02 Sept 2020HANSARDChannel Crossings in Small BoatsWhere people have a genuine fear of persecution, where they are fleeing to our shores and need our protection, or where we encounter them directly in dangerous areas, we are of…02 Sept 2020HANSARDChannel Crossings in Small BoatsThe hon. Gentleman, frankly, has a cheek to talk about hostile environments in this context. We have one of the most accommodating asylum systems in Europe. When people arrive and…02 Sept 2020HANSARDChannel Crossings in Small BoatsI share the sentiments of my right hon. Friend, who has a long record himself in the Home Office, and the work he describes is under way as we speak.02 Sept 2020HANSARDChannel Crossings in Small BoatsThe Home Secretary and I and the Government completely understand and fully accept the depth of anger that is felt right across the country at the crossings that are occurring…02 Sept 2020HANSARDChannel Crossings in Small BoatsIt strikes me as surprising that the hon. Gentleman’s analysis made no reference to the fact that we are the only G7 country contributing 0.7% of GNI in overseas aid. We were the…02 Sept 2020HANSARDChannel Crossings in Small BoatsIn the last 18 months, about 185 people have been physically returned. There are getting on for a further 1,000 people whose cases we are currently progressing where there is…02 Sept 2020HANSARDChannel Crossings in Small BoatsI have already pointed out that last year we received 3,500 asylum applications from unaccompanied children—the highest number of any European country. That is our contribution to…02 Sept 2020HANSARDChannel Crossings in Small BoatsMy hon. Friend is right in his analysis. NCA officers are embedded in law enforcement units around Europe and beyond to track down these criminal gangs. It is not just an issue in…02 Sept 2020HANSARDChannel Crossings in Small BoatsI have repeatedly outlined the safe passages or safe routes that already exist, which many tens of thousands of people have availed themselves of. In relation to legal processes,…02 Sept 2020HANSARDChannel Crossings in Small BoatsMy hon. Friend has been a tireless campaigner and advocate on this issue—I can testify to that as a Home Office Minister—and her analysis is essentially correct. The three strands…02 Sept 2020HANSARDChannel Crossings in Small BoatsSince we last spoke, the French officers operating on or near French beaches have stopped hundreds of crossing attempts—they have stopped about 3,000 crossing attempts so far this…02 Sept 2020HANSARDChannel Crossings in Small BoatsI believe the hon. Member’s figures are correct.02 Sept 2020HANSARDChannel Crossings in Small BoatsWhen it comes to helping vulnerable people, it is far more effective to help those who are in dangerous locations rather than shipping people from, say, Spain to the United…02 Sept 2020HANSARDChannel Crossings in Small BoatsThe hotel situation that my hon. Friend describes is a very short-term, temporary measure that was a response to the coronavirus epidemic. It is certainly not intended to be…02 Sept 2020