Asked by: Steve Double (Conservative - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the effect on the economy of granting asylum seekers the right to work in the UK.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The UK has a proud history of providing protection to those who need it and this Government is committed to delivering a fair and humane asylum system.
Whilst the Government has not assessed the effect on the economy of granting asylum seekers the right to work in the UK, our current policy is consistent with EU law and permits asylum seekers to work, in jobs on the Shortage Occupation List, if they have been waiting for a decision on their claim for 12 months or more and the delay is through no fault of their own. We are tackling delays in decision-making and have plans in place to improve the speed at which outstanding claims are decided.
It is important to focus on providing support for those who are recognised as refugees, to help them to integrate and find employment, so that they can rebuild their lives here.
Asked by: Steve Double (Conservative - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Home Office:
What steps the Government is taking to ensure that its policies on immigration enable the hiring of the number of skilled migrants that the UK requires.
Answered by Sajid Javid
The Government is committed to ensuring our migration system works in the national interest by enabling employers to recruit skilled-migrants from overseas.
In July, we exempted doctors and nurses from the annual cap, which freed up hundreds of places a month for other sectors of the economy.
This has had a positive impact and the cap is no longer oversubscribed.
Asked by: Steve Double (Conservative - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to engage with employers and community leaders in (a) Cornwall and (b) the South West on the EU Settlement Scheme.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
Ministers and officials have been engaging with people, communities and businesses across the whole of the UK since the Referendum. This is an absolutely essential part of the Government’s exit approach and is in addition to the four stakeholder groups on the EU Settlement Scheme which meet monthly.
Engagement on the EU Settlement Scheme in the South West, to date, has taken place in Plymouth, Exeter, Bristol and Yeovil. The Government is committed to visiting all nations and regions of the UK, including Cornwall, as part of its engagement programme. This programme is ongoing and will continue beyond the UK leaving the European Union, on 29th March 2019. As part of the draft Withdrawal Agreement with the EU, EU citizens resident in the UK have until 30 June 2021 to apply for their status.
Asked by: Steve Double (Conservative - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to engage with employers and community leaders in (a) Cornwall and (b) the South West on the EU Settlement Scheme.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
Ministers and officials have been engaging with people, communities and businesses across the whole of the UK since the Referendum. This is an absolutely essential part of the Government’s exit approach and is in addition to the four stakeholder groups on the EU Settlement Scheme which meet monthly.
Engagement on the EU Settlement Scheme in the South West, to date, has taken place in Plymouth, Exeter, Bristol and Yeovil. The Government is committed to visiting all nations and regions of the UK, including Cornwall, as part of its engagement programme. This programme is ongoing and will continue beyond the UK leaving the European Union, on 29th March 2019. As part of the draft Withdrawal Agreement with the EU, EU citizens resident in the UK have until 30 June 2021 to apply for their status.
Asked by: Steve Double (Conservative - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the recommendations made by the Migration Advisory Committee in their recent report EEA migration in the UK; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The Government will publish a White Paper setting out its plans for the future immigration system later this autumn. We have always been clear that we want decisions about the future immigration system to be based on evidence and we will carefully consider the Migration Advisory Committee’s recommendations in its recent report before setting out our plans .
Asked by: Steve Double (Conservative - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the recommendations made by the Migration Advisory Committee in their recent report EEA migration in the UK; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The Government will publish a White Paper setting out its plans for the future immigration system later this autumn. We have always been clear that we want decisions about the future immigration system to be based on evidence and we will carefully consider the Migration Advisory Committee’s recommendations in its recent report before setting out our plans .
Asked by: Steve Double (Conservative - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Migration Advisory Committee report entitled International Students in the UK, published on 11 September 2018, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the recommendations in that report; and if he will make statement.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
We are grateful to the Migrant Advisory Committee for their balanced and comprehensive review into International Students in the UK.
We will be carefully considering the recommendations made in the report and will be responding in due course.
Asked by: Steve Double (Conservative - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department plans to reclassify synthetic cannabinoid substances as class A drugs.
Answered by Nick Hurd
We have regular discussions with the National Police Chiefs’ Council on the issue of synthetic cannabinoids and we recognise how dangerous they can be and the devastating impact that they can have on communities, families and the individuals taking them.
That is why we acted to control these substances as class B drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 in 2016, to give the police the powers they need to take action, including making possession illegal and delivering longer sentences for dealers.
This followed recommendations from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs that their harms are commensurate with other class B drugs.
However, we will continue to monitor their impact.
Asked by: Steve Double (Conservative - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions he has had with Devon and Cornwall Police on tackling the availability and use of synthetic cannabinoid substances.
Answered by Nick Hurd
We have regular discussions with the National Police Chiefs’ Council on the issue of synthetic cannabinoids and we recognise how dangerous they can be and the devastating impact that they can have on communities, families and the individuals taking them.
That is why we acted to control these substances as class B drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 in 2016, to give the police the powers they need to take action, including making possession illegal and delivering longer sentences for dealers.
This followed recommendations from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs that their harms are commensurate with other class B drugs.
However, we will continue to monitor their impact.
Asked by: Steve Double (Conservative - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the potential economic merits of providing residency rights via express entry to British National Overseas participants of the youth mobility programme.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The Tier 5 Youth Mobility Scheme enables nationals from participating countries to work and stay in the UK for up to two years. British Nationals (Overseas) are eligible to apply under these arrangements. The scheme is temporary and therefore does not lead to settlement.