Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Illegal Working

Monday 2 June 2025 · 3 questions

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Enforcement of laws against illegal working has seen a 40% increase in visits and a 71% increase in arrests since the current government came to power.
  • Fines for employing illegal workers have been set at 20,000 per worker.
  • The government aims to shorten the time it takes to process asylum claims, resulting in a 63% increase in initial claims processed.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Johanna Baxter Lab Paisley and Renfrewshire South
Employment Business Compliance
Context

In Johanna Baxter's constituency, good employers who conduct employment checks are being undercut by unscrupulous firms exploiting workers.

Question

Good employers in my constituency of Paisley and Renfrewshire South—those who conduct employment checks and employ people on decent terms and conditions—are being undercut by unscrupulous firms that use exploitative practices and prey on the vulnerabilities of people seeking a better life here in the UK. What steps are being taken to protect people from exploitation and employers who do the right thing?

Answer from The Minister for Border Security and Asylum (Dame Angela Eagle)

Enforcement of the law is the best way to deal with this issue, which is why there has been a 40% increase in visits to check whether illegal working is going on, and a 71% increase in arrests since this Government came to office. Fines for employing illegal workers stand at £20,000 per worker discovered.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide specific measures beyond enforcement increases.

How: Hedging Language

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Q2 Chris Webb Lab Blackpool South
Asylum & Refugees Business Compliance
Context

Around an asylum hotel on Blackpool seafront, there is increased illegal working in takeaways, bars and restaurants.

Question

Around our asylum hotel on Blackpool seafront, we see increased illegal working in our takeaways, bars and restaurants. Will the Minister outline to my constituents how this Government are tackling that illegal working, to ensure that we have safe spaces for people in the jobs in our vital tourism industry?

Answer from The Minister for Border Security and Asylum (Dame Angela Eagle)

We are tackling illegal working by significantly increasing enforcement. That is why we have had a 40% increase in visits and a 42% increase in the number of arrests for illegal working. There are fines of £60,000 per illegal worker discovered, and those who are discovered working illegally can be arrested and put on the route to deportation.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not address illegal working around asylum hotels specifically.

How: Hedging Language

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Q3 Pete Wishart SNP Perth and Kinross-shire
Immigration Asylum & Refugees Care & Healthcare Workers
Context

The “island of strangers” immigration policy will cause huge issues for the workforce in Scotland; the care service says that it could threaten the whole sector.

Question

Surely the best way to tackle illegal working is to make more legal opportunities. The “island of strangers” immigration policy will cause huge issues for the workforce in Scotland; the care service says that it could threaten the whole sector. Asylum seekers waiting for their case to be processed are in effect an unused resource. Why not shorten the time that asylum seekers have to wait before being allowed to work, to bring some relief to such sectors?

Answer from The Minister for Border Security and Asylum (Dame Angela Eagle)

We are shortening the time that it takes to process asylum claims by getting the system that we inherited from the Conservatives working again. That is why there has been a 63% increase in the number of initial claims processed. That follows a 70% fall in the period before the last election.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not address shortening waiting time for work specifically.

How: Hedging Language

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