Contributions
2,215 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDIllegal Migration UpdateWhen I last called out the hon. Lady’s humanitarian nimbyism, the statistics were stark—in fact, they have continued to be so. The SNP Government still accommodate only 4.5% of…05 Sept 2023HANSARDIllegal Migration UpdateThat was a desperately thin response. We can deduce from it that the Labour party has absolutely no plan to tackle this issue. Of course the hon. Gentleman has had a quieter…05 Sept 2023HANSARDIllegal Migration UpdateWith permission, Madam Deputy Speaker, I wish to make a statement about illegal migration. Tackling illegal migration is one of the Government’s central priorities because it is…05 Sept 2023HANSARDIllegal Migration UpdateI am grateful to my right hon. Friend for the co-operation that we have had in respect of that site. I know that she supports the use of large sites, such as disused military…05 Sept 2023HANSARDIllegal Migration UpdateOf course, we consider all eventualities, but my hon. Friend is right to make the point that we won in the High Court and the Court of Appeal on the fundamental question: can a…05 Sept 2023HANSARDIllegal Migration UpdateIt is worth remembering that those individuals granted asylum are predominantly young men of working age, and I would hope that they will integrate into society, get a job and…05 Sept 2023HANSARDIllegal Migration UpdateThat is a very important question. We have not done an amnesty—that is what the last Labour Government did when they had a backlog of asylum decisions. We have chosen to do good,…05 Sept 2023HANSARDIllegal Migration UpdateMy hon. Friend has made very strong representations on behalf of his community, and he and I met earlier in the year to discuss that further. When we are in a position to close…05 Sept 2023HANSARDIllegal Migration UpdateYes, I was very pleased that we met our pledge to increase the number of decision makers to 2,500 from 1 September. That is coupled with management changes so that there are…05 Sept 2023HANSARDIllegal Migration UpdateWe have one of the largest detained estates of any major European country, and we are increasing it. We are investing in two new ones that will come on line next year, and we are…05 Sept 2023HANSARDIllegal Migration UpdateMy hon. Friend is right to point out that there have been significant numbers of illegal migrants from both those countries. I visited Turkey earlier in the summer, and one of my…05 Sept 2023HANSARDIllegal Migration UpdateI have had numerous conversations with my hon. Friend about that hotel. I hope that we will be in a position to exit hotels shortly, as a result of the work we have done to…05 Sept 2023HANSARDIllegal Migration UpdateI strongly support the view of my hon. Friend. He is right to say that illegal migration places immense pressures on public services, housing supply and community cohesion. That…05 Sept 2023HANSARD Electronic Travel Authorisation: Northern IrelandI will come back to the hon. Lady in a few moments time. I would like to answer the questions posed by the hon. Member for North Down around non-compliance and the legal jeopardy…18 Jul 2023HANSARD Electronic Travel Authorisation: Northern IrelandThe hon. Lady is absolutely right to note all of the many reasons why it is great to visit Northern Ireland; I have visited Northern Ireland myself on several occasions and always…18 Jul 2023HANSARD Electronic Travel Authorisation: Northern IrelandI understand the point the hon. Gentleman makes. This is not a perfect solution. A perfect solution is unavailable as long as we want to respect the unique circumstances of the…18 Jul 2023HANSARD Electronic Travel Authorisation: Northern IrelandIt is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Dame Maria. I congratulate the hon. Member for North Down (Stephen Farry) on securing the debate, and I thank his colleagues…18 Jul 2023HANSARD Illegal Migration BillI will not, because I need to bring my remarks to a close now. They would not be removed until that claim and any appeal had been determined. As I said previously, the concerns…17 Jul 2023HANSARDStatement of Changes in Immigration RulesMy right hon. Friend the Home Secretary is today laying before the House a statement of changes in Immigration Rules. Changes to the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) and EUSS Family…17 Jul 2023HANSARDBiometric Registration Non-compliance: Code of PracticeIn 2018 the Home Office began issuing eVisas, which are an electronic record of immigration status and can be accessed via gov.uk. They were initially issued to individuals…17 Jul 2023