Skip to main content

Proceeding contribution from Chris Huhne (Liberal Democrat) in the House of Commons on Tuesday, 21 October 2008. It occurred during Opposition day on Immigration Controls.


Immigration Controls

I am grateful to the right hon. Lady for giving way, because I wanted to intervene on the right hon. Member for Birkenhead (Mr. Field) on exactly this point. The scheme that you propose has been tried in both Switzerland and Germany. It is the Gastarbeiter scheme. The truth is that in a developed democracy, when the period for which people have come here to work has ended, there is not the will to throw them out again. As a result, they settle and, eventually, must be absorbed. I am afraid that you are going for a soft option which does not exist.


Secondary information

Type
Proceeding contribution
Reference
481 c194 
Session
2007-08
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
Subjects
Borders Employment Housing Immigration controls Immigration Entry clearances Economic situation Monitoring Population Statistics Visas EU immigration Work permits
Link
View this Proceeding contribution on www.publications.parliament.uk