Romanian and Bulgarian Accession Debate

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Department: Home Office

Romanian and Bulgarian Accession

Sheila Gilmore Excerpts
Wednesday 27th November 2013

(10 years, 12 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Baroness May of Maidenhead Portrait Mrs May
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My hon. Friend has put his finger on an important point. What we are doing is fair to the hard-working people who have come to the UK legally, played by the rules and done the right thing. It is every bit as frustrating for them to see people coming here and abusing and playing the system. That is another reason why it is absolutely right for us to take this action.

Sheila Gilmore Portrait Sheila Gilmore (Edinburgh East) (Lab)
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None of us believes everything we read in the newspapers, but there have been reports of British recruitment agencies working in Romania and Bulgaria actively to recruit people to come here in January. What steps are the Home Secretary and other members of her Government taking to deal with that?

Baroness May of Maidenhead Portrait Mrs May
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I recognise the issue that the hon. Lady has raised. If recruitment agencies were attempting to recruit only from certain countries, such as Romania and Bulgaria, that would be discriminatory and against the law. The Minister for Immigration is taking that matter up with the Equality and Human Rights Commission, which is the relevant enforcement body.