Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean
Main Page: Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean (Labour - Life peer)Department Debates - View all Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean's debates with the Home Office
(4 years, 6 months ago)
Lords ChamberThe right reverend Prelate will recognise that the ambition for this coming year is that it should exceed previous years, and he will know that under our various resettlement schemes we are on course to resettle 20,000 people from the region this year. It is difficult to make commitments beyond this year because of the spending review, frustrating though that is, but I will keep him posted on our future ambitions for resettling people.
I will certainly confirm in writing if that is the case, because we do not want people who are ineligible to practise. We have had examples of that.
Will the noble Baroness be kind enough, after Oral Questions, to revisit the answer she gave a moment or two ago about the health service being “propped up” by immigrant labour? We rely on many immigrant doctors. Many of us have had experience of relying on those immigrant doctors in this country. It was an unfortunate term to use, considering the shortages, the waiting lists and those people—we all know someone—who have waited a very long time. She should reconsider her answer.
Noble Lords will know that, in using that word, I did not mean it to be in any way derogatory; nor is it a derogatory term.