Syrian Refugees: Settlement in the UK

Debate between Lord Bates and Baroness Sharples

Monday 7th December 2015 Lords Chamber

[Lord Bates]

I have two thoughts on that. First, of course, it is absolutely right that there needs to be downward pressure on the wrong sort of immigration into this country. We have got to get those numbers down, precisely so that we can also offer more generous support to the genuine refugees and asylum seekers. On the specific of students, whatever the change in the calculation of the numbers, it will make no change to the student policy. There is no cap on the number of students who can come here for genuine courses at genuine universities, and that will remain the case.

[Baroness Sharples (Con)]

How can we be sure that these people seeking refuge are indeed from Syria?

[Lord Bates]

Yes, my noble friend is absolutely right to point this out. That is one of the reasons why we want the investigations and checks to take place in the refugee camps in the region, under the auspices of the UNHCR, rather than encouraging people to make the perilous journey here and then try to establish whether their bona fides and credentials are as they say they are.

Fraud: Phone Scammers

Debate between Lord Bates and Baroness Sharples

Thursday 4th December 2014 Lords Chamber

[Lord Bates]

I apologise on behalf of the Government that the noble Lord has not received his cheque yet. It may be in the post, as they say. In terms of what the Government are doing on this very serious issue, which has received publicity in the run-up to Christmas, when some 75% of people will undertake online sales, it is very important that people think of their own security. In preparing for this Question, I was thinking that the system is very complex and difficult to remember—but it is incredible, the audacity of people ringing up and asking for PIN numbers. Amazingly, people actually do give them. Part of it is law enforcement, but another aspect is having a bit of common sense in dealing with our security.

[Baroness Sharples (Con)]

Would my noble friend agree that on television virtually every day there is a warning that you should never give out your PIN number or your account number?

[Lord Bates]

My noble friend is absolutely right. It is a fact that your bank, the Government and the police will never ask you to reveal your PIN number or your online password, and that message needs to get out to people.

EU: Migration

Debate between Lord Bates and Baroness Sharples

Wednesday 19th November 2014 Lords Chamber

[Lord Bates]

I do not accept the premise that we are alienating people. People recognise that there are legitimate concerns here; if proper transitional arrangements are put in place, that can aid relations between both countries, such as the ones that we have used in the case of Croatia, which will remain in place until 2019.

[Baroness Sharples (Con)]

My Lords, is it not the fact that the number of children coming into school with English as their second language has risen from 6% last year to 16% this year?

[Lord Bates]

My noble friend is absolutely right, and that is one reason why we have said that it is a condition of immigration that the English language must be an important part of that.