Home Office Removal Targets

Earl Attlee Excerpts

Thursday 26th April 2018 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Williams of Trafford]

My Lords, as I said yesterday, there should be a hostile environment for people who have no lawful right to be here. In terms of the Windrush citizens, there is a very clear distinction between the Windrush generation, who are here lawfully, and illegal migrants, who by their very nature are not here lawfully. Immigration enforcement is focused on removing illegal migrants, and the Windrush generation clearly does not fall into that category. In addition, the Home Secretary stated yesterday or the day before that 8,000 records had been manually trawled through to ensure that nobody had been deported inadvertently. Thus far, there is no evidence that anyone has been removed who is a Windrush citizen and is lawfully here.

[Earl Attlee (Con)]

My Lords, I have an interest to declare, because I helped to take the 2014 Act through your Lordships’ House from the Government Front Bench. I do not recall the Windrush problem being raised, despite the fact that it has been a long-running problem—and I have asked the Library to research that in more detail. I agree with my noble friend the Minister that it is important to bear down on illegal immigration because it distorts the UK employment market but, more importantly, it leaves illegal migrants vulnerable, especially to modern slavery. Is not it the case that the party opposite was in power for 13 years and, although it had the opportunity, it never actually fixed the Windrush problem itself—that is, legal migrants and their children who came to the UK prior to 1973 and whose immigration status was never properly recorded? The party opposite could easily have taken the steps to avoid the problem years ago. Very regrettably, we—I use that word—did not solve that problem, and therefore we should all share in the blame for this disaster.

[Baroness Williams of Trafford]

My noble friend makes two incredibly articulate points. He is absolutely right: we should not be pointing the finger of blame at each other to try to pass the buck; we should accept that over decades and decades these people have been failed. He is also right to point out that illegal immigrants are vulnerable to exploitation and, as he says, to modern slavery. We should be bearing down on people who are not here legally and, absolutely, the Windrush generation does not fall into that category.

Windrush Generation

Earl Attlee Excerpts

Monday 23rd April 2018 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Williams of Trafford]

My Lords, herein lies the issue the noble Lord has highlighted. I think the two cases he refers to were dealt with appropriately. However, what was deemed as, perhaps, a blip in the system is actually a far more systemic problem that needs to be dealt with. I had not been aware that the debate had taken place, but certainly this is a generation of people whose status now needs to be regularised and regularised quickly.

[Earl Attlee (Con)]

My Lords, does the Minister agree that Members of another place regularly escalate immigration cases for ministerial attention irrespective of merit? There is no sift. Therefore, why is anyone surprised that we get a debacle like the Windrush episode when ministerial time is wasted on cases which have no merit?

[Baroness Williams of Trafford]

My Lords, I have seen the Immigration Minister’s case pile—not case file—and it is true that many cases come in through the Immigration Minister’s box. It is really important, particularly in a situation like this, that those with genuine cases are dealt with quickly. I hope that there are not people out there seeking to capitalise on this situation.

Transport: HS2

Earl Attlee Excerpts

Tuesday 26th February 2013 Lords Chamber

[Earl Attlee]

My Lords, I thank the noble Lord, Lord Truscott, for securing this evening’s debate, and I thank other noble Lords for their contributions, some in support and some expressing concern. A project as significant to Britain as HS2 deserves time to debate, and I am happy to try to address questions this evening.

My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Transport recently set out his initial preferences for the route and station options for phase 2 of the scheme, extending the route north of Birmingham to Manchester and Leeds. This is an important step forward in the project’s development, a step closer to the high-speed rail network that will address the key challenges that Britain will face in rebalancing and rebuilding our economy.

I have previously expressed to this House that I believe passionately in a successful Britain, and HS2 provides a rare opportunity to secure a step change in Britain’s competitiveness. HS2 will generate jobs and rebalance the country’s economy, acting as a catalyst for Britain’s future prosperity. Benefits will accrue right across the UK, leaving a lasting legacy for generations to come. This is a transformational project that will enhance rail capacity, connectivity and reliability, helping to underpin economic growth. HS2 will provide the foundation for a truly national network and connect seamlessly to the existing network, serving destinations not directly on the high-speed line such as Liverpool, releasing capacity on the existing main north-south lines to enable additional commuter, regional and, most importantly, freight services to use the line, and creating more space on some existing trains. HS2 will be woven into the transport fabric of the nation. It will be accessible to all and not be just for rich business travellers. The recently proposed routes north of Birmingham offer a great starting point for the consultation process to follow.

The Government are determined to make this an environmentally responsible scheme and have gone to great lengths to listen to those concerned about the environmental effects. While I believe HS2 to be in the national interest, we know that it is not possible to build a railway without any effect on the environment. When designing the route, important considerations such as wildlife habitats must be carefully weighed against other concerns such as protecting as many people’s homes as possible. The Government must make sure that any environmental effects are kept to a minimum and also look for opportunities to benefit the environment along the way, such as the commitment already made to plant 4 million new trees as part of the HS2 project.

Following an environmental impact assessment, the Government will be best placed to understand the effects on the environment and bring forward proposals to make sure that it is protected as far as possible. The initial preferred scheme for phase 2 has been designed to avoid or minimise impacts to important sites, and avoid any national parks or areas of outstanding natural beauty. HS2 Ltd has worked closely with Natural England and the Environment Agency in choosing options and preparing designs that would have no impacts on sites of internationally recognised importance.

Where it is not possible completely to avoid certain areas, mitigating the effects of the line is important. This has been demonstrated through the proposals for the Chilterns area of outstanding natural beauty. Of the 13 miles of route through this area, less than two miles will be at or above the surface. This is more than a 50% increase in tunnel or green tunnel than proposed in the route originally consulted on. Noble Lords have mentioned the charming villages of Little Missenden and Prestwood. I would merely point out that my subsidiary title is Viscount Prestwood.

While a decision on this scale will be made on the basis of the long-term national interest, the economic case for HS2 remains strong. The latest analysis, published in August 2012, shows an estimated £2 of benefits for every £1 spent. As with any assessment of this kind, the economic case will continue to be reviewed and updated through the life of the project. However, the benefit-cost ratio can only ever form one part of the decision-making process for a project of this scale. Wider strategic considerations such as enhancing connectivity and regenerating cities to underpin the rebalancing of the economic geography of this country are clearly compelling cases.

The noble Lord, Lord Rosser, asked about the judicial review case. He will not expect me to say any more than that we expect the judgment shortly. He also challenged me about the progress on the necessary hybrid Bill. He will understand that to design the necessary powers, every piece of land needed has to be specified in the Bill. The process has to be done properly and will just have to take its time.

The noble Lord, Lord Truscott, pressed me hard on the issue of compensating those affected, and he was not the only noble Lord to do so. The Government are conscious that no major infrastructure project on the scale of HS2 can be built without an impact on local communities, as well as the disabled. However, just as the Government are committed to mitigating the environmental impacts, I should like to reassure noble Lords that the Government are equally committed to addressing the impacts on local communities affected by the route. For this reason, for phase 1, the package of measures that have been consulted on goes significantly beyond what is provided for in law, including, for example, a promise to buy all owner-occupied homes in a corridor that in rural areas is 240 metres wide. The responses to this consultation are being carefully considered, and the Government expect the final package to be in operation in the spring. Meanwhile, the exceptional hardship scheme for phase 1 remains operational, and offers have been made to buy more than 100 homes at their full unblighted value.

The Government are currently consulting on an exceptional hardship scheme for phase 2—a consultation that closes on 29 April—and will later consult on a full package of compensation measures for phase 2. Furthermore, the Government are determined to compensate for disruption and effects caused by the new railway, and have been working for years with community groups, local businesses and wildlife charities.

The noble Lord, Lord Truscott, talked about the problem of ancient woodlands. They are very important to our natural heritage; however, the Government have to strike a balance between a range of important considerations for HS2, such as the location of people’s homes as well as other environmental and heritage sites. We are doing everything possible to minimise the impact on ancient woodlands, but where this is unavoidable we will provide suitable mitigation and compensation, following the best practice recommended by ecologists. However, I fully understand the special status of an ancient woodland. As part of the HS2 project, the Government have already committed to planting 4 million new trees and we will also be looking at opportunities to enhance existing, or create new, woodland areas and wildlife habitats.

The noble Baroness, Lady Campbell of Surbiton, made important points about the impact of the construction project on disabled people. I understand her points. During the passage through the House under the hybrid Bill procedure, the noble Baroness will have a greater opportunity to raise her concerns. However, I gently point out that hers was an argument against any large-scale transport project, and not just against HS2.

Many noble Lords who spoke against the project claimed that there was no economic case for HS2. I disagree. The latest analysis, published in August 2012, shows a continued, strong economic case for proceeding with this strategically important scheme. It shows an estimated benefit-cost ratio for the Y network of around 2.5, including wider economic impacts. However, the economic case can form only one part of the decision-making process for a project of this scale, as its benefits go well beyond narrow transport economics. The Government remain convinced that HS2 is the best means of avoiding gridlock on our railways, and delivering the required step-changing capacity and performance of Britain’s intercity rail network to support economic prosperity over the long term. It will cost us more in the long term if we do not make the right decision now.

The noble Lord, Lord Truscott, pointed out that there are potential improvement schemes that have a BCR of 5:1. I do not deny this. However, one can run these schemes but at the end of the day still run out of capacity on the west coast main line. The noble Lord, Lord Adonis, made much the same point. He also made a very important point about the pessimism of the BCR and the difficulty of capturing the full benefit. I am very grateful for his wise comments, and I agree with everything that he said.

My noble friend Lord Freeman raised the issue of HS1. There are advantages to integrating the two high-speed rail lines. There is a strong strategic case for ensuring that a high-speed network in this country connects directly into the many thousands of miles of network in operation across Europe. I welcome the recognition by my noble friend Lord Freeman of the benefits that providing links with international gateways, such as HS1, can bring. My noble friend Lord Bradshaw also touched on HS1-HS2 connectivity.

The noble Lord, Lord Stevenson, raised the issue of why HS2 no longer stops at Heathrow. The spur has not been cancelled; it has been paused, and it is too early to predict the outcome of the airport’s commissioned work or of any decisions taken following that. There are no plans to slow down progress on phase 1, and we need to press on quickly with it so that we can deliver the wider economic benefits that high-speed rail can bring. The noble Lord, Lord Stevenson, also asked a question about where to build a high-speed railway. The main driver of where to build a new railway is the business case, and this is heavily influenced by the capacity constraints on the classic railway network. It is important to point out that eight of 10 UK cities will be connected by high-speed rail.

The right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Liverpool asked if HS2 could go to Liverpool. It is important to understand that trains will be able to run on HS2 and then on the classic network, so that the people of Liverpool will still get the benefits of HS2, as will the people of Scotland; everyone north of London will gain the benefits.

Unfortunately, I have run out of time. Where I have not managed to respond to noble Lords I will of course write. I am also hosting a presentation on HS2 shortly, and I would be delighted to see as many noble Lords as possible attend.

I reassure the House that the Government will continue to listen to those concerned about the impact of the scheme. HS2 is about helping Britain thrive and prosper. Tough decisions have to be taken, but they will be responsible decisions taken in the interest of making Britain better and stronger.

Millennium Development Goals

Earl Attlee Excerpts

Thursday 7th October 2010 Lords Chamber

[Earl Attlee]

My Lords, I am extremely grateful to my noble friend Lord Chidgey for asking this Question for Short Debate, and I thank all noble Lords for their contributions. My noble friend explained the situation with his usual skill and with balance. I will endeavour to answer as many questions as possible; where I cannot, either I or my noble friend Lady Verma will write to noble Lords. I have listened very carefully and—with a few understandable exceptions—I agreed with everything that noble Lords have said today.

Progress has been made on the millennium development goals or MDGs. However, it has indeed been uneven and on a number of our goals we remain significantly off-track. In Africa, a child dies from malaria every 45 seconds; as my noble friend Lord Chidgey told us, that equates to 1 million per year. Every year at least one-third of 1 million women die due to complications in pregnancy and childbirth.

The UN MDG summit in September was a crucial moment for the world to renew our global commitment and redouble our efforts to meet the goals by 2015. The UK approached the summit seeking an ambitious agenda for action in the final years. Work by the UK behind the scenes and in public helped to achieve this, and the UK’s leadership on sticking to our promises was instrumental. The summit resulted in unprecedented global commitments to save 16 million women and children, reverse the spread of malaria and tackle hunger and undernutrition. We were successful in doing this in spite of the tough financial conditions.

In sum, three elements contributed towards the summit’s success: renewed political commitment, new concrete commitments and increased public awareness of the MDGs in the UK. Since their conception in 2000, the MDGs have provided a global rallying point towards eliminating poverty. The summit this year gave global momentum for the final push and highlighted the unique role that the UK has and will continue to play in driving this agenda forward. More than 140 world leaders attended the summit to recommit themselves and their countries towards meeting the MDGs. First, throughout the summit, including more than 80 meetings, the international community’s respect for the leadership that the UK has shown on the MDGs was abundantly clear. The UK was often praised for standing by our commitment to spend 0.7 per cent of our national income on official development assistance from 2013, and in enshrining this pledge in law. The noble Lord, Lord Brett, will understand that it is when parliamentary time allows, but the most important thing is that we actually do it.

Prior to the summit, the UN Secretary-General referred to our pledge of 0.7 per cent as visionary. The Secretary of State for DfID and the Deputy Prime Minister made it clear that we expect other countries to live up to their promises on aid. It was also a very useful opportunity to drive through the UK’s key message on the importance of focusing on results and accountability, making progress on the most off-track MDGs and the underlying importance of resolving cross-cutting issues such as conflict, raised by my noble friend Lord Bates, and climate change, to achieve all the MDGs. That point was made by my noble friend Lord Chidgey and others.

Secondly, the summit resulted in a number of substantial commitments on the most off-track MDGs. The most significant of these were the Secretary General’s event on maternal health and the UK co-hosted event on malaria. The maternal health event generated $40 billion of financing and policy commitments. The UK pledged to save the lives of 50,000 women, 250,000 children and to help 10 million more couples gain access to family planning by doubling our efforts. The UK pledge on malaria was similarly strong, helping to reduce deaths from malaria by 50 per cent in the 10 highest burdened countries, backed by an increase in funding to as much as £500 million per year by 2014. Policy commitments from developing countries, such as extending bednet coverage and eliminating tariffs on health commodity imports, will also have a great impact on the fight against malaria.

The summit was also notable for the extent of developing country engagement, not only in the financial and policy commitments—one-third of the $40 billion commitment came from developing countries—but also in leading side events on issues of concern, such as climate change, fragility and conflict. We also saw substantial commitments from the private sector. Johnson and Johnson aims to help as many as 120 million women and children each year over the next five years, and of the NGOs, World Vision committed $1.5 billion over five years. All these groups have vital contributions to make towards achieving the MDGs.

The summit concluded with the formal adoption of the outcome document, Keeping the Promise: United to Achieve the Millennium Development Goals. This important document sets out a focused framework for the efforts over the final five years. Thanks to lobbying by this Government, that includes an annual review mechanism on the outcomes of the summit, which will be administered through the UN Economic and Social Council.

Thirdly, the summit provided a focus for increased public awareness of the MDGs and development issues among the UK and overseas public. UK civil society played a major role in this, particularly in organising various media events involving the Deputy Prime Minister and the Secretary of State in the weeks leading up to the summit.

I will do the best I can to answer questions. The noble Lord, Lord Brett, asked about the 0.7 per cent GNI, and I have answered that. I should point out that we are bound by the strict OECD definition of “overseas development assistance”, and every penny must be used to encourage the economic development and welfare of developing countries.

The noble Baronesses, Lady Kinnock and Lady Tonge, the noble Viscount, Lord Craigavon, and many others raised the issue of reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health, including family planning. The Government are reorienting our aid programme to put women and children at the heart of it. DfID is developing a new business plan on reproductive, maternal and newborn health that will set out how the UK will save the lives of at least 50,000 women in pregnancy and childbirth and 250,000 newborn babies, and enable 10 million couples to access modern methods of family planning over the next five years.

My noble friend Lord Moynihan raised the important issue of sport and development. We are supporting sport programmes in developing countries by working through International Inspirations, a charity set up by the 2012 UK London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The charity supports development projects such as training teachers and sports coaches.

The noble Baroness, Lady Uddin, raised the most important issue of rape as a weapon of war. Her Majesty’s Government abhor the use of rape as a weapon of war, and tackling this problem is something we take very seriously. The UK strongly supports action at the international level and has been a key supporter of UNSCRs 1325, 1820, 1888 and 1889 to protect women and girls in armed conflict and maximise their role in peace-building. DfID is driving international action to empower women and girls. Under its new structural reform plan we will pilot approaches to eliminating violence against women and girls.

The noble Lord, Lord Hannay of Chiswick, asked whether the Government should not be more concerned about the post-2015 agenda. At the end of the summit, the UN Secretary-General announced his intention to initiate a consultation process on what comes after the MDGs, and the UK will play its full part in the process.

The noble Lord, Lord Patel, said—and I too have noticed this—that there is a particular problem associated with poor or absent obstetric care. His points reinforce the importance of our commitment to reproductive, maternal and newborn health, especially obstetric care. The right reverend Prelate the Bishop of London raised the role of faith groups and their importance. We welcome the role of faith groups in development. The Government were pleased to welcome the visit of the Pope. My noble friend Lord Black talked about the need for a free media and the relationship between media freedom and MDG progress. He is absolutely right.

The noble Viscount, Lord Craigavon, asked about the recently announced private sector department in DfID. This new department brings additional capacity, particularly to work on innovative approaches with the private sector and leveraging private investment into basic services in communities. It brings much of DfID’s private sector work into one place, it allows a stronger input from business itself in development operations and it has a strong remit to make the whole of DfID more private sector friendly. None of this has existed before. The noble Lord, Lord Boateng, mentioned agriculture. I would like to say more about that but I have run out of time. However, I point out that supporting infrastructure is extremely important for agriculture.

In conclusion, the UK ensured that the summit rallied the international community to accelerate efforts to achieve the MDGs in the final five years. We can be justly proud of the contribution that we made. However, there is still much work to be done, not least in ensuring that this momentum is carried forward through other international meetings, including the G20 summit in Seoul, and that commitments made are followed through. The coalition Government will use every tool at our disposal to ensure that the international community delivers on its commitment to meet the goals by 2015.

House adjourned at 6.05 pm.