Contributions
2,215 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDUnaccompanied Asylum-seeking ChildrenPerhaps the hon. Gentleman and I should visit the hotel and see its facilities together, as I am due to visit it in the coming days. According to the assurances that I have had,…24 Jan 2023HANSARDUnaccompanied Asylum-seeking ChildrenThe hon. Lady and I have met to discuss the issue on a number of occasions. We take this very seriously. We have asked all our providers, of course, to take their responsibilities…24 Jan 2023HANSARDUnaccompanied Asylum-seeking ChildrenMy right hon. Friend is absolutely right. This is a symptom—a very serious and disturbing symptom—of the problem, which is the people-smuggling gangs luring tens of thousands of…24 Jan 2023HANSARDUnaccompanied Asylum-seeking ChildrenI respect the right hon. Lady and her Committee, but it is not as simple as my being able to set a date by which these hotels will close, because we have to be honest with…24 Jan 2023HANSARDUnaccompanied Asylum-seeking ChildrenMy right hon. Friend is absolutely right that, as I made clear earlier, we should treat any child who goes missing with the same focus and intensity of effort, regardless of their…24 Jan 2023HANSARDUnaccompanied Asylum-seeking ChildrenThat is an important point. We want to place these minors in the care of local authorities, and, of course, we want to place them in the care of local authorities with good track…24 Jan 2023HANSARDUnaccompanied Asylum-seeking ChildrenI want to end the practice of putting children in hotels, but the key to that is stopping people crossing the channel in the first place. If we continue to have tens of thousands…24 Jan 2023HANSARDUnaccompanied Asylum-seeking ChildrenMy hon. and learned Friend raises a very important issue. There is, as he knows as well as almost anyone in this House, a lack of capacity in relation to specialist foster carers.…24 Jan 2023HANSARDUnaccompanied Asylum-seeking ChildrenI gave the figures the Home Office has at the start of this urgent question. Of the 4,600 unaccompanied children who have been accommodated in hotels since July 2021, 440 have…24 Jan 2023HANSARDUnaccompanied Asylum-seeking ChildrenI am grateful to my hon. Friend for those questions. He is right to make the final point, which is that these are not secure locations. Young people are not detained in them. We…24 Jan 2023HANSARDUnaccompanied Asylum-seeking ChildrenIf the hon. Lady has not visited the hotel in her constituency, or indeed in her neighbouring constituency, I would be happy to organise that. I spoke with the chief executive and…24 Jan 2023HANSARDUnaccompanied Asylum-seeking ChildrenThe rise in small boat crossings has placed a severe strain on the asylum accommodation system. We have had no alternative but to temporarily use specialist hotels to give some…24 Jan 2023HANSARDDraft Immigration (Leave to Enter and Remain) (Amendment) Order 2023My hon. Friend is just in time. I will give way.23 Jan 2023HANSARDDraft Immigration (Leave to Enter and Remain) (Amendment) Order 2023I beg to move, That the Committee has considered the draft Immigration (Leave to Enter and Remain) (Amendment) Order 2023. The draft order is required to enact a minor change to…23 Jan 2023HANSARDDraft Immigration (Leave to Enter and Remain) (Amendment) Order 2023The notes make the point that the reason we are changing the law in this way is to allow younger passengers to pass through the e-gates. However, I would be happy to make those…23 Jan 2023HANSARDDraft Immigration (Leave to Enter and Remain) (Amendment) Order 2023I am pleased to answer the questions raised by the shadow Minister, the hon. Member for Aberavon, and by the hon. Member for Weaver Vale as swiftly as I can. I will come to the…23 Jan 2023HANSARD EU Settlement SchemeIf the hon. Gentleman does not mind, I will not give way because I have only a few minutes left and I would like to try to answer the remaining questions from the hon. Member for…20 Jan 2023HANSARD EU Settlement SchemeI will happily take up the hon. Member’s first point with the Department of Health and Social Care and revert to him. On his second point, I did give some guide as to the likely…20 Jan 2023HANSARD EU Settlement SchemeI am grateful to the hon. Member for Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East (Stuart C. McDonald) for securing the debate, and for the constructive way in which he posed his…20 Jan 2023HANSARDReform of the Clandestine Entrant Civil Penalty SchemeThis Government are determined to crack down on illegal migration, to dismantle the organised criminal gangs behind it and to keep our borders safe and secure. For over 20 years,…16 Jan 2023