Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Illegal Immigration

Monday 25 April 2022 · 8 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Ministerial Department is taking whole of Government actions to prevent illegal immigration to the UK.
  • Government is working closely with France to prevent crossing attempts and guide vulnerable migrants.
  • MPs discussed the importance of legal routes and the need for the Nationality and Borders Bill to pass into law.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Jonathan Gullis
Immigration Migrants & Borders
Context

The MP is concerned about small boat crossings and the impact of illegal immigration on his constituency.

Question

What steps her Department is taking to prevent illegal immigration to the UK. The people of Stoke-on-Trent North, Kidsgrove and Talke are delighted with this groundbreaking economic and development partnership with Rwanda, which will help to break the business model of vile people smugglers once and for all.

Answer from Tom Pursglove

There is a whole of Government effort to counter these dangerous and unnecessary crossings. That effort is reflected in the recent changes that the Government have made to operational primacy. We continue to work closely with the French to prevent crossing attempts, guiding vulnerable migrants in France towards support there, and tackling the vile criminal gangs that profit from them.

Answered
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Q2 Craig Tracey Con
Migrants & Borders
Context

The MP has raised small boat crossings with the Department on multiple occasions.

Question

Does the Minister agree that it is important that we use every single power we have to prevent these illegal crossings, which continually put lives in danger; to clamp down on the gangs that facilitate them; and to continue to provide the legal routes by which so many people have already made safe crossings?

Answer from Tom Pursglove

My hon. Friend is absolutely right to highlight the distinction between illegal entry into this country and people coming via safe and legal routes. I know that his constituents in North Warwickshire and Bedworth feel very strongly that the Nationality and Borders Bill needs to pass into law. We need its comprehensive measures to build on our existing powers, to get to grips with this issue, and to tackle it fairly but robustly.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific powers not detailed

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Q3 Jonathan Gullis
Immigration Migrants & Borders
Context

The MP is concerned about the lack of action from Labour in addressing illegal crossings.

Question

Does my hon. Friend share my concern and that of my constituents that the Labour woke warriors are quite happy to stick with the status quo, meaning that more people are going to leave safe mainland France, risking their lives and putting thousands of pounds in the hands of smuggling gangs, which will mean more death in the channel and illegal economic migrants continuing to enter the United Kingdom?

Answer from Tom Pursglove

One thing we absolutely know is that my hon. Friend's constituents are very perceptive. They will recognise that the Labour party has no credible alternative that recognises the scale of the challenge and all its complexities. We need the measures in the Bill; we need the Rwanda model to come to fruition. We are getting on and delivering on that priority.

Not addressed: No specifics about Labour's stance or actions

How: Criticising Opposition

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Q4 Ben Bradshaw Lab
Ukraine
Context

The MP is concerned about issues in the refugee scheme for Ukrainians.

Question

To avoid desperate Ukrainians being added to those trying to cross the channel, the Government's schemes for Ukrainians need to work. Can the Minister explain why the very helpful Members' hub in Portcullis House has been stopped from issuing permission-to-travel letters to MPs? I dealt with a family last week. For two of the family members, the letters were sent to me and I could let the family and their host family here know, and they were all happy about it. For the third family member, the system was stopped at the end of the last week, and officials are saying that they are now no longer allowed to issue MPs with those permission-to-travel letters. It is a complete shambles. Will he sort it out?

Answer from Tom Pursglove

The right hon. Gentleman will recognise that I am not the Minister with direct responsibility for the refugee scheme, but I will gladly ensure that his feedback is heard by my noble Friend Lord Harrington. If the right hon. Gentleman would like to share details of those specific cases, we will gladly look at them at pace.

Not addressed: No explanation for stopping issuance

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Q5 Amy Callaghan
Ukraine
Context

The MP is concerned about issues in the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

Question

Despite this Government continually patting themselves on the back, there remain far too many cracks in the Homes for Ukraine scheme. In a recent article published by The Guardian, an anonymous whistleblower has revealed that he dealt with numerous cases in which UK visas had been issued for an entire family apart from just one child, effectively stopping the family from travelling to safety. Over the past few weeks, I have been in contact with a constituent who has been doing all she can to help a family from Ukraine who are in that exact scenario, but she is getting nowhere. What is the Minister doing to plug those gaps and to ensure that entire families, not just individuals, can reach the UK safely?

Answer from Tom Pursglove

If the hon. Lady can provide the specifics of that case, I will happily ensure that that is looked at quickly. It is also fair to say that the number of caseworkers dedicated to this work has been increased, and we try to ensure that cases are grouped so that families are processed consistently together, which makes sense.

Partly answered

Not addressed: No specific measures detailed

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Q6 Stephen Kinnock Lab Aberafan Maesteg
Immigration Asylum & Refugees
Context

The MP is concerned about the costs and effectiveness of the Rwanda offloading plan.

Question

The deeply misjudged Nationality and Borders Bill and the Rwanda offloading plan will not only make cracking down on criminal people traffickers much more difficult, but make the cost to the British taxpayer criminally expensive. The British people deserve to know how their taxes are being spent, not least because the failed Australian model ended up costing £1 million per refugee. I ask the Home Secretary how many refugees she expects to send to Rwanda each year. The Prime Minister says it is tens of thousands; is that correct? How many can they house in the detention centres? What will the cost per single refugee be? What will the £120 million be spent on? Finally, given that her most senior civil servant refused to sign off on the plan, when will the Home Secretary publish a comprehensive cost forecast of her unworkable, extortionate and profoundly un-British Rwanda offloading agreement?

Answer from Tom Pursglove

The hon. Gentleman clearly did not pay much attention to the statement last week and the responses given. The British people deserve to know what his alternative is. I would politely suggest there is none.

Not addressed: No details on costs or capacity

How: Criticising Opposition

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Q7 Marco Longhi
Immigration
Context

The MP is supportive of the government's actions on illegal immigration.

Question

I thank the Home Secretary, the Minister and all her team for bringing about the so-called Rwanda plan. I know the whole of Dudley is behind her, as is the rest of the country—unlike the Labour party, which has no plan. I ask the Home Secretary and her team to continue with the same steely resolve that I know she must have applied to get here as they move on to delivery and implementation.

Answer from Tom Pursglove

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for his support for the policies we are bringing forward. He recognises the gravity and importance of the issues we are dealing with. We will not rest while people continue to put their lives in the hands of evil criminal gangs, whose only concern is to take a profit from those individuals.

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Q8 Diane Abbott Lab Hackney North and Stoke Newington
Immigration Asylum & Refugees
Context

The question arises from the disagreement between the Minister and a former Home Secretary, Mrs May, regarding the effectiveness of the Rwanda scheme in addressing small boat crossings.

Question

The Minister claimed that the Rwanda scheme will be a way of diminishing the small boats crossing the channel, but he will be aware that at least one Member of this House does not support his scheme: the right hon. Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), who is not only a former Prime Minister, but a former Home Secretary. Can he explain to the House why he disagrees with his colleague, and what makes him so sure that his scheme will not fall in the courts?

Answer from Tom Pursglove

I have huge respect and admiration for my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May). The bottom line here is that there is no single intervention that will resolve the issue, but we must strain every sinew. We believe this is an important policy intervention that will shift the dynamic and help to preserve lives. That is a fundamental imperative and we cannot put a cost on it. I am convinced that this policy will deliver, along with the wider package of measures we are introducing. I encourage the right hon. Member for Hackney North and Stoke Newington (Ms Abbott) to be in the right Division Lobby this week and to pass the Nationality and Borders Bill into law.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific legal risks of the scheme not being struck down by courts were not addressed, only a general assertion that it will deliver results.

How: I Encourage The Right Hon. Member For Hackney North And Stoke Newington (Ms Abbott) To Be In The Right Division Lobby This Week And To Pass The Nationality And Borders Bill Into Law.

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