Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Mark Harper and Marcus Jones

Monday 26th January 2015 Commons Chamber

[Mr Marcus Jones (Nuneaton) (Con)]

Not all employers appreciate the social importance and value to the work force that employing disabled people can bring. What more are the Government doing to try to encourage employers to take on disabled people, and to help them into work?

[Mr Harper]

I think that our Disability Confident campaign has contributed to the fact that more than a quarter of a million extra disabled people have started work over the last year. I am also considering improvements that we can make to the Access to Work service, which plays an important role in helping people either to stay in work or to return to it.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Mark Harper and Marcus Jones

Monday 19th November 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Marcus Jones (Nuneaton) (Con)]

4. What steps her Department is taking to reform the student visa system; and if she will make a statement.

[The Minister for Immigration (Mr Mark Harper)]

We have overhauled the student visa regime with a series of reforms designed to drive abuse out of the system while improving standards in the sector. As I said in reply to the previous question, we have seen that being successful. The overall number of visas in the part of the sector where there has been abuse is down, but the number of non-EU students accepted into our universities is up. Our universities are very much open for business, and there is no cap on recruitment to them.

[Mr Jones]

Many of my constituents have been appalled at the systematic abuse of the student visa system. Will my hon. Friend reassure us that his Department will continue to pursue bogus colleges, which for far too long under the previous Labour Government just opened doors for people to come to this country on bogus student visas?

[Mr Harper]

I very much agree with my hon. Friend. The point of having student visas is to allow students to come here to study, not to work illegally. We have a very good offer for our higher education sector; students can come here, study and take up work appropriately, and then come here after their studies for post-study work. It is a very good offer. Our good universities should have no trouble converting it into attracting students and saying that they are very much open for business.