Contributions
2,215 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDHotel Asylum Accommodation: Local Authority ConsultationI had a very productive meeting with London Councils. It raised questions, such as the one the hon. Gentleman raises. We will now be providing a full set of information about who…23 Nov 2022HANSARDHotel Asylum Accommodation: Local Authority ConsultationMy hon. Friend is absolutely right. There is a global migration crisis, and the mass movement of individuals across the world, including in Europe, will be one of the big features…23 Nov 2022HANSARDHotel Asylum Accommodation: Local Authority ConsultationWe have provided £3,500 per asylum seeker to local authorities such as Stoke-on-Trent, so that they have further support. The hotels that have been procured there are fully funded…23 Nov 2022HANSARDHotel Asylum Accommodation: Local Authority ConsultationDear me! The reason I had to pull out of the meeting with local authority leaders was that the hon. Gentleman had called an urgent question and I was here answering his questions.…23 Nov 2022HANSARDHotel Asylum Accommodation: Local Authority ConsultationI can only speak to the situation as I found it when I arrived in the Department, and at that point there were almost 4,000 people at the Manston site. There were serious concerns…23 Nov 2022HANSARDAsylum Seekers Contingency Accommodation: BelfastI do not agree with the hon. Lady. It is not that I disagree with the fact that the backlog of cases has grown too large and now needs to be tackled, which I will come to in a…22 Nov 2022HANSARDAsylum Seekers Contingency Accommodation: BelfastIt is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Robert. I am grateful to the hon. Member for Belfast South (Claire Hanna) for securing this debate, which is the first that…22 Nov 2022HANSARDAsylum Seekers Contingency Accommodation: BelfastI can only speak to the time that I have been in position, which is only around a month. We have engaged with local authorities throughout the United Kingdom to explain the…22 Nov 2022HANSARDMigrationI am pleased that the right hon. Lady welcomes our agreement with France. She is right to raise the anniversary of the tragic and abhorrent deaths that occurred in the channel one…16 Nov 2022HANSARDMigrationThe continued rise of dangerous channel crossings is completely unacceptable. This phenomenon is not only a clear abuse of our immigration laws and deeply unfair on the British…16 Nov 2022HANSARDMigrationThe hon. Lady needs to face the facts. We on the Government Benches will always behave with decency and compassion, because those are our values. But we will not be naive. We are…16 Nov 2022HANSARDMigrationWe are determined to bring the Rwanda proposals into force as soon as possible. Unfortunately, the matter is currently being heard by the British courts, but we are optimistic…16 Nov 2022HANSARDMigrationWe have put further staff into the processing centres, and there will shortly be 1,500 decision makers working through the claims. As I have said in answer to earlier questions,…16 Nov 2022HANSARDMigrationMy hon. Friend has raised important concerns, and I should be more than happy to meet him. He and I have already spoken, but a formal meeting would be an obvious next step.16 Nov 2022HANSARDMigrationMy hon. Friend has made an important point. Of course we would like to have an effective returns agreement with France, and we would like to have British officers supporting their…16 Nov 2022HANSARDMigrationWe want to ensure that we exit the hotels as quickly as possible, and wherever we can we will do that in a prioritised fashion, so that when hotels are particularly unsuitable and…16 Nov 2022HANSARDMigrationIf there are further legislative changes that we need to make, my hon. Friend can be assured that we will make them; I will be grateful for her support. The Home Secretary and I…16 Nov 2022HANSARDMigrationWe do not support the chaperoning of crafts to the median line to be picked up by British vessels and brought to Ramsgate, Dover or other British ports. Ultimately, that is…16 Nov 2022HANSARDMigrationIf it were not for this urgent question, I would have been meeting representatives from Welsh local authorities, including the Welsh Local Government Association. I will…16 Nov 2022HANSARDMigrationI do not want to overstate the value of the agreement, but it is an important step forward and might presage further agreements with France in the months and years to come. It…16 Nov 2022