Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that rural businesses are able to recruit the workers they require from countries within the EU and elsewhere.

For the time being, the United Kingdom remains a part of the European Union and the latest labour market statistics continue to show an increased number of EU citizens entering into the UK labour force. However, the Government has committed to keeping the position under review and we will continue to engage with the agricultural sector.

The Government has commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to assess the impact of leaving the EU and the subsequent needs of the UK economy, including the rural economy. We will outline our future immigration proposals in due course.

Net migration includes all persons coming to the UK for 12 months or longer.