Context
The MP is questioning the effectiveness of arbitrary limits on legal migration, referencing past attempts that were unsuccessful. He mentions the previous government's record of 1 million in one year.
Question
What assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of introducing a statutory annual cap on levels of legal immigration. Does the Minister not recognise that an important step towards significantly reducing net migration would be to make it clear to all those working in his Department or handling migration that there is a number that everyone is working towards? If that is the case, surely Members of this House should be able to vote on that binding cap, as happens successfully in countries such as Australia.
Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (Mike Tapp)
An arbitrary limit on legal migration would serve no one. As we have seen in the past, attempts to implement such caps have been unsuccessful. I remind the hon. Member of the 1 million in one year under the previous Government, undercutting British workers. Instead, this Government have set out a plan to reduce net migration by restoring control to the immigration system, reducing our reliance on overseas labour, and investing in domestic skills. It is always amusing to be lectured about immigration by the Conservative party. There are more sophisticated ways to address high net migration, and this Government are doing that by tackling the underlying causes of over-reliance on migrant labour by employers, alongside raising the bar for who can come to the UK, and targeted visa restrictions.
Not addressed: The Minister did not provide a specific assessment of introducing a statutory annual cap or commit to voting on such a cap. Instead, he dismissed the idea as unsuccessful in the past and claimed that more sophisticated methods are being used.
Was this summary accurate? Tell us
How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)