Stuart McDonald: I, too, congratulate the hon. Member for Rutland and Melton (Alicia Kearns) on securing this important urgent question, and I welcome the Minister to his place. These are really alarming and incredibly serious allegations, which, as the Minister says, have to be properly investigated. Indeed, the suggested international scale of these activities across 30 countries on five continents is...
Stuart McDonald: I thank the Home Secretary for her statement and join the whole House in condemning the frightening attack at Western Jet Foil and in sending our sympathy to all those who are impacted and, indeed, our thanks to all who responded so professionally. But responsibility for the disaster and dysfunction at Manston and for the unlawful detention conditions there lies squarely with the Home...
Stuart McDonald: New Prime Minister, same old Tories—a Government just like their predecessors who clearly do not think the ministerial code is worth the paper it is written on. This appointment is an absolute disgrace. So many questions simply have not been answered. How many so-called errors of judgment have there been? Do Ministers behave like this all the time, as one source close to the Home Secretary...
Stuart McDonald: I, too, welcome the Home Secretary to his place and, like him, I want to thank the members of the inquiry and their staff for their incredibly thorough and painstaking work over many years. Like everybody else, I think the most important thing is to pay tribute to all the survivors who participated courageously in recounting their own horrific experiences. They did so seeking acknowledgement...
Stuart McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information the (a) Gangmasters Labour Abuse Authority, (b) Employment Agencies Inspectorate and (c) other labour inspectorates are required to share information with Immigration Enforcement relating to the personal data or immigration status of workers.
Stuart McDonald: What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the cost of living crisis on (a) the devolved budget, (b) Welsh households, and (c) businesses in Wales.
Stuart McDonald: The Secretary of State’s U-turn during the Tory leadership election was indeed truly eye-catching, but the U-turn about which people in Wales are most concerned at the moment is the Government’s U-turn on properly protecting benefits and pensions against skyrocketing inflation. Will the Minister be U-turning on that commitment as well, or will he fight the good fight in favour of proper...
Stuart McDonald: We support the new clause on a public interest defence.
Stuart McDonald: I support the objective of the new clause. When we were debating some of the offences in part 1, the SNP tabled various amendments to try to make it clear that the national interest and the interests of the Government are not necessarily the same thing—often, they are not the same thing at all. It appears that judicial authority says that, in essence, it is for the Government to decide what...
Stuart McDonald: I will briefly emphasise how incredibly broadly and dangerously drafted new clause 20 is. All sorts of organisations will fall within the scope of the provisions; it could be a local business or a UK non-governmental organisation. Unless I am missing something, under the clause they can be asked by the Secretary of State in an information notice for virtually any information that she fancies...
Stuart McDonald: I have a question about the new clause, and it may save the Minister from having to make a speech. With power, unlike with other notice powers, there seems to be virtually no limit on the nature of information that can be requested. There is no judicial oversight or right to challenge. It seems to be an incredibly broadly drafted power, and I do not understand why.
Stuart McDonald: I do not want to repeat anything the shadow Minister said, but I have a couple of short points. I am supportive of the goal of the political tier, though I am somewhat struggling with the design of the scheme. In debate on new clause 11, I asked questions about how the provisions would apply when intermediaries were used. It would be useful if the Minister could write on that, as I do not...
Stuart McDonald: We are now turning to some of the most important provisions in the Bill. I do not think anybody here would argue that we do not need some sort of foreign influence registration scheme. The question for us today is, is this the right scheme? This debate gives us a lot of food for thought, and we will have to go away and think about it further. We have had the benefit of some very useful...
Stuart McDonald: What happens if an intermediary is involved? What if a designated state power says to someone locally, “You arrange for these activities”, rather than saying to someone in the United Kingdom, “I want you to undertake these activities”? That falls within the terms of the new clause. That intermediary then instructs people in the United Kingdom to undertake activities. Does that not...
Stuart McDonald: I will make a couple of brief points. The broad thrust of the new schedule and the intention behind it seem absolutely fine, but I am interested in the tests that must be satisfied before an order is made. Under the previous schedule on disclosure orders, the judge has to be satisfied that there are reasonable grounds for suspicion, that there is substantial value in the information gained...
Stuart McDonald: It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Gray. My apologies for missing the previous Committee sitting. I can now welcome the Minister to his place at this very interesting and challenging time. I do not doubt that we wish him well. We have a tricky job in Committee today. We are looking at fairly substantial new schedules and new clauses for the first time. It would be helpful...
Stuart McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of seasonal workers working in the UK by labour provider as of 1 August 2022.
Stuart McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an estimate of the number of farms in the UK with workers employed on the seasonal workers visa scheme; and the number of farms in the UK with each labour provider.
Stuart McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of seasonal workers working in Scotland by labour provider as of 1 August 2022.
Stuart McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an estimate of the number of farms in Scotland with workers employed on the seasonal workers visa scheme; and the number of farms in Scotland with each labour provider.