Contributions
2,215 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDIllegal Migration Bill: Devolved AdministrationsI have engaged regularly with the devolved Administrations on the Illegal Migration Bill since its introduction in March, in addition to my periodic meetings with my ministerial…03 Jul 2023HANSARDAsylum Application BacklogI used to say that the Labour party does not have a plan, but the truth is that it does have a plan, but it is a plan that would make things significantly worse. It is a plan that…03 Jul 2023HANSARDAsylum Application BacklogThe approach that the Home Secretary and I have taken has been both to ensure that, where there are high grant rate nationalities, cases are pursued swiftly, and where there are…03 Jul 2023HANSARDAsylum Application BacklogMy hon. Friend makes an important point. The Home Secretary, the Prime Minister and I explicitly chose not to pursue the blanket amnesty approach that the previous Labour…03 Jul 2023HANSARDAsylum Application BacklogI can assure the hon. Gentleman that the problem with our asylum system is not a lack of lawyers; there are plenty of legal representatives around. We have had strong overall…03 Jul 2023HANSARDAsylum Application BacklogAs I just said, we are making good progress on reducing the asylum backlog. Important though the reducing the backlog is, however, it cannot be the totality of a plan. This is the…03 Jul 2023HANSARDAsylum Application BacklogWe are making good progress, and the latest Home Office statistics show that asylum decisions are up, with a 35% increase since last year in the number made. Productivity has…03 Jul 2023HANSARDAsylum Accommodation: HotelsI am familiar with the hotel in my hon. Friend’s constituency and the concerns he has raised. I will take a look at that, but as I have said previously, the answer to this…03 Jul 2023HANSARDTopical QuestionsMy hon. Friend and I have discussed this on many occasions. She has doggedly campaigned for the closure of these centres as well as supported the steps that we are taking as a…03 Jul 2023HANSARDTopical QuestionsWe take that report, as we do all others, very seriously. The right hon. Lady is right to say that there are lessons to be learned. However, returns are increasing as a result of…03 Jul 2023HANSARDTopical QuestionsMy hon. Friend is absolutely right. We want those individuals to leave the country as swiftly as possible. The published figures show that FNO returns increased following the…03 Jul 2023HANSARDTopical QuestionsThe Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Plymouth, Moor View (Johnny Mercer) and I launched a programme that provides significant support to…03 Jul 2023HANSARDTopical QuestionsI would be happy to look into the case for the hon. Gentleman, but I can say to him that we are processing applications in third countries within service standards. We have closed…03 Jul 2023HANSARDIllegal Migration Bill: Economic Impact AssessmentI am delighted that the hon. Lady celebrated Refugee Week. I do not know if any refugees came to it, because the SNP does not house refugees in Scotland. The point is that we are…27 Jun 2023HANSARDIllegal Migration Bill: Economic Impact AssessmentI agree with my right hon. Friend. Border security is the first priority of any Government. We understand that, and that is why we are investing in it and ensuring that we can…27 Jun 2023HANSARDIllegal Migration Bill: Economic Impact AssessmentOn the hon. Member’s penultimate point, we have gone to great lengths to ensure that individuals do not arrive on our shores without our knowledge. That happens in only a tiny…27 Jun 2023HANSARDIllegal Migration Bill: Economic Impact AssessmentThe document makes it abundantly clear that, were costs to continue to rise on the current trajectory—we are in an age of mass migration and the numbers of individuals looking to…27 Jun 2023HANSARDIllegal Migration Bill: Economic Impact AssessmentI completely agree with my right hon. Friend, although not necessarily his comments about Skegness. The point is that we have to look at each and every one of the pull factors to…27 Jun 2023HANSARD Population Growth: Impact of ImmigrationThank you, Mr Paisley. I thank my right hon. Friend the Member for South Holland and The Deepings (Sir John Hayes) for securing the debate and for his kind words—flattery, of…27 Jun 2023HANSARDIllegal Migration Bill: Economic Impact AssessmentFurther to that point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. Perhaps it would be helpful if I sent the hon. Lady a copy of the letter that I wrote to the Scottish Government recently,…27 Jun 2023