1-20 of 24 results for subject:Migration
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Answering member
X
Liam Byrne
Type
House
Session
Year
Department
Member
Primary member
Answering member
Byrne, Liam (24)
More
Legislative stage
Legislation
Subject
Publisher
The position in my right hon. Friend's constituency sounds a little bit like that in mine, but he has a far more distinguished record than I have in helping constituents with errors made by immigration lawyers who claim to be acting in their clients' best interests. One of the biggest things that we can do to help resolve the problem this year is to make the law far simpler. That is why later this year we will introduce a Bill to simplify the immigration system and immigration law, some of which dates back pretty much to when I was born.
The position in my right hon. Friend's constituency sounds a little bit like that in mine, but he has a far more distinguished record than I have in helping constituents with errors made by immigration lawyers who claim to be acting in their clients' best interests. One of the biggest things that we can do to help resolve the problem this year is to make the law far simpler. That is why later this year we will introduce a Bill to simplify the immigration system and immigration law, some of which dates back pretty much to when I was born.
Answered by
Liam Byrne
(Labour)
Asked by
Gerald Kaufman
(Labour)
Answering body
Home Office
Type
Oral answers to questions
With regard to the administration of immigration law, will the Minister take whatever action is open to him to stop solicitors taking up asylum, leave to remain and nationality cases in which there is no need for legal representation—cases for which these greedy shysters grab money, and which they far too often bungle, so that they then have to come back to Members of Parliament? In addition to taking whatever action he can, will he ask the Law Society to investigate?
Subjects
Immigration; Migration
Date
25 February 2008
Reference
472 c753-4
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
House
House of Commons
I am grateful to hear the spectrum of opinion that the hon. Gentleman mentioned; it might be a good sign that we have got things right. If he studies the issue in detail, he will soon realise that we propose a five-year cap on temporary leave. That will mean that quite a few benefits based on national insurance contributions, such as incapacity benefit, the state-based pension and those NI-based payments that require more than five years of contributions, will no longer be available to those coming into the country on temporary leave. The message that we want to send is simple: if someone wants access to mainstream benefits, they should have to earn their citizenship in Britain. People should not be allowed to sit on temporary leave for indefinite periods.
I am grateful to hear the spectrum of opinion that the hon. Gentleman mentioned; it might be a good sign that we have got things right. If he studies the issue in detail, he will soon realise that we propose a five-year cap on temporary leave. That will mean that quite a few benefits based on national insurance contributions, such as incapacity benefit, the state-based pension and those NI-based payments that require more than five years of contributions, will no longer be available to those coming into the country on temporary leave. The message that we want to send is simple: if someone wants access to mainstream benefits, they should have to earn their citizenship in Britain. People should not be allowed to sit on temporary leave for indefinite periods.
Answered by
Liam Byrne
(Labour)
Asked by
Damian Green
(Conservative)
Answering body
Home Office
Type
Oral answers to questions
The Minister's latest attempt to affect levels of migration was last week's Green Paper. He will have noted that it united opinion across the spectrum—against it. The Guardian said that Ministers should have"““more…respect for the facts””."
The Independent described it as"““Clumsy steps in the wrong direction””."
The Sun said that it was ““a gimmick””, and the Daily Mail said that it was ““simply barmy””. I will spare the Minister the verdict of the Daily Express. Ministers were clearly trying to talk tough. To that end, page 34 of the paper says:"““Probationary citizens will not…be entitled to access mainstream benefits””."
Can the Minister name a single benefit that is available now that will not be available under the new regime?
Subjects
Immigration; Migration
Date
25 February 2008
Reference
472 c754-5
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
House
House of Commons
I respect the passion with which the hon. Gentleman presents his argument, and I know that he recently held a debate in the House—I think it was last week—on the impact on public services that he sees locally. However, when I look at the proposals for caps on migration, I find it difficult to see how they would capture, touch or affect more than one in five of the newcomers who entered the UK in 2006. I believe that the points system will capture at least three in five, and I therefore think it is the right way forward for carefully controlling migration to the United Kingdom.
I respect the passion with which the hon. Gentleman presents his argument, and I know that he recently held a debate in the House—I think it was last week—on the impact on public services that he sees locally. However, when I look at the proposals for caps on migration, I find it difficult to see how they would capture, touch or affect more than one in five of the newcomers who entered the UK in 2006. I believe that the points system will capture at least three in five, and I therefore think it is the right way forward for carefully controlling migration to the United Kingdom.
Answered by
Liam Byrne
(Labour)
Asked by
Lord Jackson of Peterborough
(Conservative)
Answering body
Home Office
Type
Oral answers to questions
My constituency has borne, and continues to bear, the brunt of the shambles that this Government call an immigration policy. Does the Minister think that my constituents will be reassured by a policy involving a belated points-based system but no upper limit on the number of people allowed to come to the United Kingdom?
Subjects
Immigration; Migration
Date
25 February 2008
Reference
472 c753
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
House
House of Commons
I had not spotted the report to which the hon. Gentleman alludes, but he is absolutely right to say that sometimes when we hold debates about the number of people coming into the UK, we forget that, for example, in 2006, of the 529,000 people who came into the UK, 77,000 were British citizens.
I had not spotted the report to which the hon. Gentleman alludes, but he is absolutely right to say that sometimes when we hold debates about the number of people coming into the UK, we forget that, for example, in 2006, of the 529,000 people who came into the UK, 77,000 were British citizens.
Answered by
Liam Byrne
(Labour)
Asked by
Vincent Cable
(Liberal Democrat)
Answering body
Home Office
Type
Oral answers to questions
Is the Minister aware of last week's OECD study, which showed that there are more British immigrants overseas than overseas immigrants in Britain? The implication of our experience of negative net immigration is that if immigrants returned to their country of origin, we would have more people here, not fewer.
Subjects
Immigration; Migration
Date
25 February 2008
Reference
472 c754
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
House
House of Commons
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for championing those issues with me, both in the Chamber and outside. I said last year that I think that in the next couple of years we need to double the Border and Immigration Agency's budget for enforcement, and we need to use a portion of those resources jointly with other parts of Government, so that where possible we come together with the Gangmasters Licensing Authority, Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs and national minimum wage inspectorates to take a concerted approach to tackling abuse of workers from abroad, who are often vulnerable, and to stop the undercutting of British wages.
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for championing those issues with me, both in the Chamber and outside. I said last year that I think that in the next couple of years we need to double the Border and Immigration Agency's budget for enforcement, and we need to use a portion of those resources jointly with other parts of Government, so that where possible we come together with the Gangmasters Licensing Authority, Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs and national minimum wage inspectorates to take a concerted approach to tackling abuse of workers from abroad, who are often vulnerable, and to stop the undercutting of British wages.
Answered by
Liam Byrne
(Labour)
Asked by
Clive Efford
(Labour)
Answering body
Home Office
Type
Oral answers to questions
My hon. Friend is aware of the growing concern among some sectors of the work force, particularly in the building trade, about maintaining rates of pay because of the large influx of EU migrants coming to work in the UK. There are no simple solutions to the problem, but does my hon. Friend think that we should implement measures such as those in the Temporary and Agency Workers (Equal Treatment) Bill, or allow multidisciplinary enforcement teams to go to workplaces such as building sites and make sure that people are properly qualified and are there legitimately? What can he do to implement such schemes?
Subjects
Immigration; Migration
Date
25 February 2008
Reference
472 c754
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
House
House of Commons
In 2006, the net inflow of migrants to the UK was 191,000. For those who take an interest in the issue, as I know the hon. Gentleman does, that is about 15 per cent. lower than the year before and about 22 per cent. lower than in 2004.
In 2006, the net inflow of migrants to the UK was 191,000. For those who take an interest in the issue, as I know the hon. Gentleman does, that is about 15 per cent. lower than the year before and about 22 per cent. lower than in 2004.
Answered by
Liam Byrne
(Labour)
Asked by
Lord Jackson of Peterborough
(Conservative)
Answering body
Home Office
Type
Oral answers to questions
what recent estimate she has made of levels of net migration to the UK.
Subjects
Immigration; Migration
Date
25 February 2008
Reference
472 c753
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
House
House of Commons
what recent estimate she has made of levels of net migration to the UK.
what recent estimate she has made of levels of net migration to the UK.
Asked by
Lord Jackson of Peterborough
(Conservative)
Answered by
Liam Byrne
(Labour)
Answering body
Home Office
Oral questions - Lead
Status
Answered
Tabled on
19 February 2008
For answer on
25 February 2008
Answered on
25 February 2008
In 2006, the net inflow of migrants to the UK was 191,000. For those who take an interest in the issue, as I know the hon. Gentleman does, that is about 15 per cent. lower than the year before and about 22 per cent. lower than in 2004.
Subjects
Immigration; Migration
Date
25 February 2008
Reference
472 c753; 188118
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
House
House of Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has had with ministerial colleagues on the co-ordination of migration policy between Government Departments.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has had with ministerial colleagues on the co-ordination of migration policy between Government Departments.
Asked by
Peter Bone
(Conservative)
Answered by
Liam Byrne
(Labour)
Answering body
Home Office
Type
Written questions
Status
Answered
Tabled on
20 November 2007
For answer on
26 November 2007
Answered on
26 November 2007
Home Office Ministers discuss migration policy with ministerial colleagues on a regular basis through the Cabinet Committee structure, in particular the Ministerial Committee for Domestic Affairs Sub-Committee on Migration.Several Government Departments are represented on the Migration Advisory Committee and the Migration Impact Forum.We also work closely with individual departments on a range of more specific issues relating to migration policy. For example, in June 2007 we published our joint Home Office/Foreign Office International Strategy on migration.
Subjects
Migration; Departmental coordination
Date
26 November 2007
Reference
167493; 468 c173W
House
House of Commons
Adjournment debate on Romanian and Bulgarian migrants.
Adjournment debate on Romanian and Bulgarian migrants.
Lead member
Keith Vaz
Answering member
Liam Byrne
Department
Home Office
Type
Adjournment debates
Subjects
Bulgaria; Employment; Finance; Immigration controls; Immigration; EU enlargement; Local government; Migration; Young people; Romania; Work permits
Date
6 November 2007
Reference
467 c121-8
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
House
House of Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the brief was for the report on EU migration flows commissioned by his Department from Christian Dustmann et al of University College; what the value was of the commission; what the basis was for selecting the team; which other...
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the brief was for the report on EU migration flows commissioned by his Department from Christian Dustmann et al of University College; what the value was of the commission; what the basis was for selecting the team; which other...
Asked by
John Hayes
(Conservative)
Answered by
Liam Byrne
(Labour)
Answering body
Home Office
Type
Written questions
Status
Answered
Tabled on
28 November 2006
For answer on
30 November 2006
Answered on
30 October 2007
I will write to the hon. Member.
Subjects
EU countries; Immigration; EU enlargement; Migration
Date
30 October 2007
Reference
465 c1270W;465 c1271W; 107242
House
House of Commons
I am happy to give my hon. Friend that assurance. If we are to tackle illegal immigration, we must stop illegal journeys and illegal jobs. That is exactly why we have published plans to set up a second offshore border control to keep our borders more secure, and why we have said that we will increase spending on immigration policing by £100 million next year—a measure that the Liberal Democrats voted against. Both measures, however, must be underpinned by a different way of identifying whether people are who they say they are, which is why biometric identity technology is so important. That underpins biometric visas and compulsory biometric ID cards for foreign nationals. That is why it is such an error for the Conservative party to pledge that it will close that system down.
I am happy to give my hon. Friend that assurance. If we are to tackle illegal immigration, we must stop illegal journeys and illegal jobs. That is exactly why we have published plans to set up a second offshore border control to keep our borders more secure, and why we have said that we will increase spending on immigration policing by £100 million next year—a measure that the Liberal Democrats voted against. Both measures, however, must be underpinned by a different way of identifying whether people are who they say they are, which is why biometric identity technology is so important. That underpins biometric visas and compulsory biometric ID cards for foreign nationals. That is why it is such an error for the Conservative party to pledge that it will close that system down.
Answered by
Liam Byrne
(Labour)
Asked by
Brian Jenkins
(Labour)
Answering body
Home Office
Type
Oral answers to questions
My hon. Friend has the sympathy of the House and the country in the tasks that he is undertaking. We must realise how difficult it is to stop the hundreds of thousands of people across Europe and the rest of the world who wish to make their way to this island paradise—especially after 10 years of Labour Government. But surely he realises that his points scheme deals only with legal immigration, and it is not the legal immigration that is causing problems. Illegal immigration, and bogus asylum seekers, are undermining the status of the legal immigrants, whom we welcome to Britain. Will he assure the House that his methods will reduce the number of illegal immigrants and bogus asylum seekers getting to this island?
Subjects
Immigration; Migration
Date
30 April 2007
Reference
459 c1225-6
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
House
House of Commons
That is an absolutely extraordinary claim from the hon. Gentleman, who I hold in the highest regard for the contribution that he has made to Opposition Front-Bench immigration policy—he has injected a degree of humanity into it that was not there a year or two ago. He will not have any credibility arguing that point when it was his party that began dismantling exit controls in 1994, and it is his party that has said that it will shut down the biometric identification system, which will support biometric visas and biometric identification in Britain and which is vital to our counting people in and out. As an alternative, he proposes to set a limit. That limit does not apply to the European Union; it does not apply to asylum seekers; and we have yet to find out whether it applies to family members. Even though I think it has—
That is an absolutely extraordinary claim from the hon. Gentleman, who I hold in the highest regard for the contribution that he has made to Opposition Front-Bench immigration policy—he has injected a degree of humanity into it that was not there a year or two ago. He will not have any credibility arguing that point when it was his party that began dismantling exit controls in 1994, and it is his party that has said that it will shut down the biometric identification system, which will support biometric visas and biometric identification in Britain and which is vital to our counting people in and out. As an alternative, he proposes to set a limit. That limit does not apply to the European Union; it does not apply to asylum seekers; and we have yet to find out whether it applies to family members. Even though I think it has—
Answered by
Liam Byrne
(Labour)
Asked by
Damian Green
(Conservative)
Answering body
Home Office
Type
Oral answers to questions
The Minister’s widely acclaimed charms cannot disguise the fact that his actions are largely ineffectual, mostly because the Government have no idea how many people have come here. The Office for National Statistics says that only 56,000 Polish citizens entered Britain in 2005, yet mysteriously the Department for Work and Pensions tells us that 170,000 Polish citizens applied for new national insurance numbers in 2005-06. They cannot both be right. Will he admit that, as long as the Government fail to secure our borders and to know how many people are coming here and staying here, immigration policy will remain the single biggest failure in the long-term shambles that the Home Office has become?
Subjects
Immigration; Migration
Date
30 April 2007
Reference
459 c1227-8
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
House
House of Commons
The right hon. Gentleman has made an important point, which underlines the need for us to take account of the wider impacts of migration on society when making immigration decisions. The points-based system gives us a flexible way of either raising or lowering the bar that people must cross to come to this country, but I do not think our decision on precisely where the bar sits should be based on an economic rationale alone. We must take account of those wider impacts, which is why the migration advisory committee and the migration impact forum will be so important.
The right hon. Gentleman has made an important point, which underlines the need for us to take account of the wider impacts of migration on society when making immigration decisions. The points-based system gives us a flexible way of either raising or lowering the bar that people must cross to come to this country, but I do not think our decision on precisely where the bar sits should be based on an economic rationale alone. We must take account of those wider impacts, which is why the migration advisory committee and the migration impact forum will be so important.
Answered by
Liam Byrne
(Labour)
Asked by
David Heathcoat-Amory
(Conservative)
Answering body
Home Office
Type
Oral answers to questions
Is the Minister aware of figures released last month by the Department for Communities and Local Government which showed that house building is now roughly keeping pace with household formation from indigenous sources, but also that household formation from immigration is due to reach about 73,000 a year? What prospect is there of ending house price inflation and giving people a chance to own their homes at a reasonable price while net immigration continues to run at those unacceptable and out-of-control levels?
Subjects
Immigration; Migration
Date
30 April 2007
Reference
459 c1227
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
House
House of Commons
The hon. Gentleman is right that net migration is up in the UK, as it is across the advanced west—the figure for Britain is the same as the OECD average. When we make migration decisions, we must consider which parts of our economy need migrants and which do not, on which we need independent advice. The hon. Gentleman is right that we must take into account the wider impact of migration on communities. We plan to bring together public services up and down the country so that, when we make migration decisions, we do so in full knowledge of the impacts on communities up and down Britain.
The hon. Gentleman is right that net migration is up in the UK, as it is across the advanced west—the figure for Britain is the same as the OECD average. When we make migration decisions, we must consider which parts of our economy need migrants and which do not, on which we need independent advice. The hon. Gentleman is right that we must take into account the wider impact of migration on communities. We plan to bring together public services up and down the country so that, when we make migration decisions, we do so in full knowledge of the impacts on communities up and down Britain.
Answered by
Liam Byrne
(Labour)
Asked by
James Clappison
(Conservative)
Answering body
Home Office
Type
Oral answers to questions
We all recognise the contribution made by migrants and the undoubted benefits of some migration. As part of the debate, will the Minister accept that recent net migration—running at 400,000 in the past two years alone—has been historically unprecedented, and that the pressure on housing and public services is unsustainable? All of that is due, in no small measure, to Government policy changes. To put it in the Minister’s terms, should the bar be set higher or lower? Under his points-based system, will either he or the migration advisory committee have the power to set a limit?
Subjects
Immigration; Migration
Date
30 April 2007
Reference
459 c1225
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
House
House of Commons
Order. That is rather wide of the question.
Order. That is rather wide of the question.
Answered by
Liam Byrne
(Labour)
Answering body
Home Office
Type
Oral answers to questions
Subjects
Immigration; Migration
Date
30 April 2007
Reference
459 c1226-7
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
House
House of Commons
My hon. Friend is right to underline the contribution that foreign students make to the economy. We estimate that last year foreign students brought in about £5 billion to the education system in Britain, but we have to ensure that the colleges to which people are going are legitimate and that people have the right qualifications in order to undertake those courses. That is why we will be investing up to £20 million next year in a compliance network of Border and Immigration Agency officers to check that colleges are not bending the rules.
My hon. Friend is right to underline the contribution that foreign students make to the economy. We estimate that last year foreign students brought in about £5 billion to the education system in Britain, but we have to ensure that the colleges to which people are going are legitimate and that people have the right qualifications in order to undertake those courses. That is why we will be investing up to £20 million next year in a compliance network of Border and Immigration Agency officers to check that colleges are not bending the rules.
Answered by
Liam Byrne
(Labour)
Asked by
David Leslie Taylor
(Labour)
Answering body
Home Office
Type
Oral answers to questions
An assessment of the figures relating to people migrating to the United Kingdom for a year or more shows that about a quarter say that their reason for coming here is to undertake a course of formal study. How confident is he that appropriate assessments are conducted in relation to the institutions and courses that a substantial number of people coming to this country are about to attend and undertake?
Subjects
Immigration; Migration
Date
30 April 2007
Reference
459 c1227
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
House
House of Commons
Not as many as I hope to receive once the migration advisory committee and the migration impact forum are up and running over the next few months.
Not as many as I hope to receive once the migration advisory committee and the migration impact forum are up and running over the next few months.
Answered by
Liam Byrne
(Labour)
Answering body
Home Office
Type
Oral answers to questions
Subjects
Immigration; Migration
Date
30 April 2007
Reference
459 c1225
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
House
House of Commons
My hon. Friend is right to say that migrants from abroad have performed vital roles not just in our economy but in our public services. In the last couple of years people coming to this country from the new accession countries have provided some 2,500 jobs in the NHS and NHS dentistry, and that is before we take into account the number of people from eastern Europe who are working in our social care sector. If there are roles that cannot be filled locally, both our public services and United Kingdom businesses should have the chance to fill them with the right people from abroad.
My hon. Friend is right to say that migrants from abroad have performed vital roles not just in our economy but in our public services. In the last couple of years people coming to this country from the new accession countries have provided some 2,500 jobs in the NHS and NHS dentistry, and that is before we take into account the number of people from eastern Europe who are working in our social care sector. If there are roles that cannot be filled locally, both our public services and United Kingdom businesses should have the chance to fill them with the right people from abroad.
Answered by
Liam Byrne
(Labour)
Asked by
Hugh Bayley
(Labour)
Answering body
Home Office
Type
Oral answers to questions
The increase in the number of doctors and dentists in my constituency would not have happened had it not been possible to recruit dentists from foreign countries. Will my hon. Friend reassure me that people filling essential posts in this country for which there was no local candidate will still be given fast-tracked immigration status and fast-tracked work permits?
Subjects
Immigration; Migration
Date
30 April 2007
Reference
459 c1226
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
House
House of Commons
What recent representations he has received on the level of net migration to the UK.
What recent representations he has received on the level of net migration to the UK.
Asked by
James Clappison
(Conservative)
Answered by
Liam Byrne
(Labour)
Answering body
Home Office
Oral questions - Lead
Status
Answered
Tabled on
24 April 2007
For answer on
30 April 2007
Answered on
30 April 2007
Not as many as I hope to receive once the migration advisory committee and the migration impact forum are up and running over the next few months.
Subjects
Immigration; Migration
Date
30 April 2007
Reference
459 c1225; 134276
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
House
House of Commons
I do not know whether I have given the hon. Gentleman a misleading impression, but I am not the general secretary of a Soviet-style central planning system—[Laughter.] I do not sit, together with my colleagues, in an office in the Home Office deciding what the needs of the British economy will be next year. We need to understand where in our economy migration is needed and where it is not, which is why the migration advisory committee is so important, but in setting the bar we must take into account the wider impact of migration, and that is precisely what we plan to do.
I do not know whether I have given the hon. Gentleman a misleading impression, but I am not the general secretary of a Soviet-style central planning system—[Laughter.] I do not sit, together with my colleagues, in an office in the Home Office deciding what the needs of the British economy will be next year. We need to understand where in our economy migration is needed and where it is not, which is why the migration advisory committee is so important, but in setting the bar we must take into account the wider impact of migration, and that is precisely what we plan to do.
Answered by
Liam Byrne
(Labour)
Asked by
David Ruffley
(Conservative)
Answering body
Home Office
Type
Oral answers to questions
Will the Minister put the Blairite spin to one side, and tell us by how much the annual number of immigrants to the United Kingdom will fall in the year following the introduction of his new points system? A ballpark figure will do.
Subjects
Immigration; Migration
Date
30 April 2007
Reference
459 c1226
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
House
House of Commons