Asked by: Lord Green of Deddington (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to publish statistics about the operation of the new points-based immigration system under which employers could apply from 1 December 2020 to sponsor skilled workers; and which data (1) have been collected, and (2) they intend to publish.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
Data relating to the new points-based immigration system will be incorporated in the tables published quarterly as part of the Immigration Statistics, which provide statistics on visa applications and outcomes by nationality.
As a National Statistics output, data published by the Home Office is reviewed regularly to ensure it meets the needs of users of the statistics.
Asked by: Lord Green of Deddington (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many visa nationals on (1) six-month visit visas, (2) long-term visit visas, and (3) long-term work, study or family visas, whose permission to be in the UK expired, and for whom there was no record of departure, there were in each of the past five years.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The Home Office publishes statistics relating to departures by visa holders as part of its annual Exit Checks report (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/fifth-report-on-statistics-relating-to-exit-checks). The report includes the percentage of non-EEA visa holders whose leave expired with no initially identified departure in time, including both people for whom there was no record of departure and people with a confirmed late departure.
It is important to note individuals with no departure recorded were not necessarily non-compliant. There are known coverage gaps with the ISA system (most notably the Common Travel Area) which means individuals may have departed and not been recorded. In addition, information regarding a departure may have been received but not successfully matched against their arrival or visa by the system.
Asked by: Lord Green of Deddington (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many non-visa nationals whose permission to be in the UK expired, and for whom there was no record of departure, there were in each of the past five years.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The Home Office publishes statistics relating to departures by visa holders as part of its annual Exit Checks report (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/fifth-report-on-statistics-relating-to-exit-checks). The report includes the percentage of non-EEA visa holders whose leave expired with no initially identified departure in time, including both people for whom there was no record of departure and people with a confirmed late departure.
It is important to note individuals with no departure recorded were not necessarily non-compliant. There are known coverage gaps with the ISA system (most notably the Common Travel Area) which means individuals may have departed and not been recorded. In addition, information regarding a departure may have been received but not successfully matched against their arrival or visa by the system.
Asked by: Lord Green of Deddington (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the total UK net public sector contribution to the (1) European Economic Community, and (2) EU, budget since the accession of the UK to the European Communities in 1973 at real 2019 prices.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The total UK Net Public Sector Contributions to the EEC during the period 1973 to 1993, adjusted to real 2019 prices, is equal to £51.5bn. The total UK Net Public Sector Contributions to the EU during the remaining period 1994 to 2019, adjusted to real 2019 prices, is equal to £174.7bn. These figures do not include receipts received by private UK entities, which would reduce the UK’s net contributions.
Asked by: Lord Green of Deddington (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the total UK net public sector contributions to the EU/EC budget between 1991 and 2019 at real 2019 prices.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The total UK Net Public Sector Contributions to the EU budget during the period 1991 to 2019, adjusted to real 2019 prices, is equal to £182.6 billion (average £6.3 billion per annum). This figure does not include receipts received by private UK entities, which would further reduce the UK’s net contribution.
Asked by: Lord Green of Deddington (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 17 November (HL9917), by what means they are able to introduce a limit on the number of skilled workers able to come to the UK; what is the nature of any parliamentary approval that would be required; and how long would be required for any such changes to take effect.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The Points-Based Immigration System will allow the Government to take back full control of our borders. We will suspend the cap on the number of skilled workers able to come to the UK but other controls, such as salary thresholds and the Immigration Skills Charge, will ensure immigration is managed and considered alongside investment in and protection of the UK’s resident labour market.
We have considered carefully the possible impacts of the new immigration system, making best use of existing evidence and data. However, variables including Coronavirus are not the only uncertainty. We will need time to monitor the impacts on migration flows and the labour market, and whether this is in line with our detailed planning assumptions, before making any changes.
Any limit could be introduced through changes to the Immigration Rules, which are subject to negative resolution in both Houses. Changes are conventionally laid before Parliament 21 days before they take effect. The cap on skilled workers will be suspended when the new Rules come into force on1 December, but the Home Office processes required to enforce such a control will remain in place.
Asked by: Lord Green of Deddington (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Stedman-Scott on 2 November (HL9276), what estimate they have made of the number of young people aged 16 to 24 who will benefit from the Kickstart Scheme.
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott
The Department for Work and Pensions Kickstart Scheme is making £2 billion available to eligible employers and Kickstart gateways. This Government has not set a limit to the number of Kickstart jobs that can be funded.
Asked by: Lord Green of Deddington (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government why the previous arrangements for a cap on the annual number of work permits (1) have been deleted in the revised Immigration Rules, published on 22 October, and (2) are stated as having been suspended in the explanatory notes, published on 22 October; what are the steps which need to be taken (a) to re-impose, and (b) to bring into force, such a cap; and what estimate they have made of the time it would take to take such steps.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The Points-Based Immigration System will allow the Government to take back full control of our borders. We will suspend the cap on the number of skilled workers able to apply to come to the UK, as recommended by the Migration Advisory Committee. Other controls such as sponsorship by a licenced employer, a system of salary thresholds and a requirement for employers to pay the Immigration Skills Charge, will ensure immigration is managed and considered alongside investment in and protection of the UK’s resident labour market.
The Skilled Worker route will be kept under review and we will retain the right to introduce further controls if necessary, based on experience and evidence.
Asked by: Lord Green of Deddington (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, under the new arrangements coming into force in January 2021, citizens of Hong Kong who are not British National (Overseas) passport holders will need to obtain a visa (1) in advance of arrival to enter the UK, or (2) at the port of entry.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The bespoke new Hong Kong British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) Visa route recognises our historic and moral commitment to BN(O) citizens in Hong Kong, giving them the option to live in the UK if they decide that is an appropriate choice for them.
Consistent with the wider Immigration Rules, individuals in Hong Kong who do not hold BN(O) status or who are not dependents from the same household as a BN(O) will be able to apply under the new Points-Based System to come to live, work or study in the UK, provided they meet the necessary requirements. Those wishing to come to the UK under the new Points-Based-System will need to apply for a visa in advance of travel.
As with BN(O)s, citizens of Hong Kong are able to travel to the UK visa free for visit purposes for up to six months.
Asked by: Lord Green of Deddington (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 17 September (HL7646), what are their (1) ‘central’, and (2) ‘high’, range estimates for the number of people with British National (Overseas) status who will arrive in the UK (a) in the first year, and (b) over five years, of the new immigration route.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
Further details of the new Hong Kong British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) Visa were put before Parliament on 22 October. This included an Impact Assessment which set out the projected numbers of BN(O)s who might come to the UK under the new BN(O) route.
The impact assessment can be found here: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukia/2020/70/pdfs/ukia_20200070_en.pdf