Benefits: EU Nationals

Lord Campbell-Savours Excerpts

Monday 7th November 2011 Lords Chamber

[Lord Freud]

My Lords, amazingly, we do not have those data, but that is clearly not the present Government’s problem as we are looking to get those data. Our concern is that, if we let in benefit tourists in the way the Commission is looking for us to do, the costs of doing that could be up to £2.5 billion a year. Noble Lords will be absolutely aware that we have many better ways of spending that money on people who are in this country and who have been making a contribution to this country.

[Lord Campbell-Savours]

When are the Government going to comment on the uprating? A lot of people out there in the country will want to know.

[Lord Freud]

I have already made my position on that absolutely clear.