---

Homelessness (A8 Nationals)

There has been an impassioned national debate about the benefits and burdens of the influx of people from eastern Europe since the EU enlargement of May 2004. Understandably, much of that has focused on the lack of Government preparedness given the unexpectedly large numbers that have arrived, from Poland and Lithuania in particular. The arrival to these shores of hard-working, committed, law-abiding young men and women who are willing and able to contribute to skilled, unskilled and semi-skilled employment in catering, construction, leisure and the hospitality industries, to name but a few, has clearly been a great boost to the United Kingdom’s economy. Indeed, without such an influx, the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s frequent boasts about strong and continuous economic growth would be somewhat muted. There has also been a darker side to the monumental human tide that has come into our country, and it is those problems that I wish to address. In the run-up to EU enlargement almost three years ago, my local authority, Westminster city council, warned repeatedly of the increased dangers of nationals from the new EU accession countries ending up sleeping rough on the streets and adding to instability as well as fuelling crime and antisocial behaviour. Around the time of enlargement, the leader of Westminster city council, Sir Simon Milton, wrote to the then Home Secretary to warn him of the risks. In addition, I have submitted parliamentary questions over the past year about those who are described as A8 nationals—for those unaware of that term, it refers to people from the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia; the other two smaller accession countries from 2004, Malta and Cyprus, are not included in the definition. Naturally, those concerns have been compounded by the recent accession at the beginning of January of Bulgaria and Romania, the A2 nations, which have a total population of 35 million. Even during this month, we have seen evidence of many starting to arrive, although it is harder to track numbers as the coaches often come in via Germany. Last week some A2 families—not simply young men or women who were seeking work—pitched up at Charing Cross police station demanding accommodation. Although it is difficult to gauge exact numbers, five of the six people arrested recently in the Victoria area for persistent begging were from Romania. Needless to say it is central London—the most cosmopolitan melting pot in the country—that faces the greatest burden to its social services since the arrival of so many A8 nationals. That is particularly acute in relation to Romanians, for whom, unlike for Poles and Lithuanians, there is no significant settled UK community outside London. I should also stress at this juncture that the substantial increased workload has not lain exclusively on the shoulders of our local councils. Earlier this month I had the opportunity of speaking at great length with Sister Ellen Flynn, the chief executive of The Passage, which is an institution that proudly proclaims that it has helped homeless people since 1980. That charity in Victoria, which is sponsored predominantly by the Roman Catholic Church, has provided for the less fortunate in our society since the 1860s and is situated close to Victoria street, albeit on the other side of the street from the Minister. The Passage works alongside central Government in trying to give a hand-up to those in need with a view to ensuring that the homeless for whom it cares can return rapidly to a self-sufficient life, reliant neither on the state nor charitable giving. It is an organisation that is only a stone’s throw from Westminster cathedral and only a five-minute walk from Victoria coach station, the preferred destination of many from Poland and Lithuania, and it has been under increasing pressure over the past three years. Naturally, neither The Passage, other charities nor Westminster city council are in a position simply to turn away those vulnerable A8 nationals who arrive in the country unable to support themselves. Westminster city council has furnished the Home Office with a detailed report of the costs incurred in providing vital pastoral care and services. On several occasions, I have written to Home Office Ministers requesting future funding for additional police resources to tackle the increasing crime and antisocial behaviour related to the influx of A8 nationals. Approximately half of the funding needed has been confirmed and granted by the Department for Communities and Local Government, and I understand that at the end of last week the Home Office confirmed in writing that it would match that contribution to cover additional enforcement and repatriation costs incurred at a local level, which I shall describe in more detail later. Without continued funding at that level, or perhaps even at an enhanced level, Westminster city council will be forced to make cuts in other areas of its work for the indigenous council tax-paying population. Let us remember that those outgoings are not of Westminster council tax payers’ making. To give credit where credit is due, I thank the Minister for the initial financial contribution. However, I have to say that we anticipate a worsening of the situation that I have described with the recent EU expansion and the freedom of movement extended to Romanian and Bulgarian citizens.