Asylum Seekers

Oral Answers to Questions — Home – in the House of Commons at 2:30 pm on 13 February 2006.

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Photo of Jim Sheridan Jim Sheridan PPS (Team PPS), Ministry of Defence 2:30, 13 February 2006

What steps he is taking to tackle illegal working by asylum seekers.

Photo of Tony McNulty Tony McNulty Minister of State (Immigration, Citizenship and Nationality), Home Office

The Government are firmly committed to preventing illegal migrant working and the misuse of our asylum system by those seeking financial advantage, rather than protection. We have significantly reduced the number of unfounded asylum claims since 2002 and increased removals of refused applicants. We have also strengthened legislation relating to employment by reforming section 8 of the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996 and by supporting my hon. Friend's initiative on gangmaster licensing. We are introducing new measures for a civil penalty regime and a tougher criminal offence for employers in the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Bill.

Photo of Jim Sheridan Jim Sheridan PPS (Team PPS), Ministry of Defence

My hon. Friend is aware that, when asylum seekers are caught working illegally in this country, they are dealt with accordingly. What sentences are in place to deal with unscrupulous employers who lure asylum seeker workers into the country on the false pretence of improving their quality of life?

Photo of Tony McNulty Tony McNulty Minister of State (Immigration, Citizenship and Nationality), Home Office

My hon. Friend raises a fair point. If we are being honest, section 8 of the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996 has not dealt with the issue from the employer point of view as successfully as was anticipated. Where it has been successful, that has often been in areas other than under section 8, which is why we considering strengthening the legislation. Last year, when I launched a migrant workers strategy and a statement with the TUC and CBI, both sides were in agreement that it was in nobody's interest to facilitate the arrival or employment of migrants illegally—asylum seekers or otherwise—and that we all need to work to secure a transparent managed migration system, and bear down as heavily as we can on those who employ people illegally, as well as on people who are in the country illegally.

Photo of Philip Davies Philip Davies Conservative, Shipley

The Minister concentrates his fire on employers, but does he agree that, if asylum seekers were detained while their applications were being processed rather than dispersed around the country, and if more failed asylum seekers were kicked out of the country, there would be fewer asylum seekers working?

Photo of Tony McNulty Tony McNulty Minister of State (Immigration, Citizenship and Nationality), Home Office

In the context of the question and everything else that I have read and heard of the hon. Gentleman, no, I do not agree with him.

Photo of Peter Soulsby Peter Soulsby Labour, Leicester South

Does my hon. Friend agree that, whether working or not, it is vital that vulnerable asylum seekers receive high-quality advice to prevent exploitation and will he therefore agree to examine the plight of the Leicester refugee and asylum advice project, which faces closure despite providing an invaluable specialist service to vulnerable and often desperate clients?

Photo of Tony McNulty Tony McNulty Minister of State (Immigration, Citizenship and Nationality), Home Office

I do not know the details of the specific case in Leicester to which my hon. Friend refers, but I agree with his general point. We are working closely with the Legal Services Commission as we implement our new asylum model to try to ensure that there is input from legal advisers at the pre-decision level. The greater the integrity of the initial decision on an asylum application, the better will that ripple through the system. I agree with the broad point, but cannot comment on the specifics.

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The specific is that RASAP is an organisation with staff who are committed to enabling refugees to find their way through the difficulties of our system, so that they have a place to live an opportunity to work, and food on the table. RASAP has been recognised by the Home Office as providing a valuable...

Submitted by Sheila Mosley Continue reading

Photo of David Davies David Davies Conservative, Monmouth

Does the Minister agree that genuine asylum seekers coming here from their country of origin in fear of their lives would not jeopardise their status by deliberately breaking the rules set for them and does he therefore agree that those who are found to be working in this country should have their asylum status cancelled and treated accordingly?

Photo of Tony McNulty Tony McNulty Minister of State (Immigration, Citizenship and Nationality), Home Office

I do not agree with what I think was the broad thrust of that question. Suffice it to say that the hon. Gentleman speaks only mildly better gibberish than his namesake.

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This is a serious issue that deserves a serious answer! Responses like this seem to indicate that the...

Submitted by Christian Holliday Continue reading