Extracts from Parliamentary proceedings - Jan 7
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Extract from Commons Urgent Question on EU Withdrawal
Agreement: Legal Changes The Secretary of State for Exiting the
European Union (Stephen Barclay) ...Part of the reason why I
supported leaving the European Union is that I want us to be much
more global in our approach. I want us to look to the growing
economies in China, India and Brazil, develop the work of
the economic and financial dialogues that the Treasury...Request free trial
Extract from Commons
Urgent Question on EU Withdrawal Agreement: Legal
Changes
...Part of the reason why I supported leaving the European
Union is that I want us to be much more global in our
approach. I want us to look to the growing economies in
China, India and Brazil, develop the work of
the economic and financial dialogues that the Treasury has
had in place for a number of years, and look at how we can
supercharge them and take a much more global approach. We
recognise that the best way to trade with those growing
economies is not on a WTO basis, but by putting in place more
bespoke trading arrangements with them. I find it slightly
illogical that we should have that global objective of closer
trading relationships with the wider world, while saying that
with our largest trading partner we can revert to something
that we are trying to move away from elsewhere... Extract from Urgent Question on Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe I congratulate the hon. Member for Hampstead and Kilburn (Tulip Siddiq) on gaining this urgent question. I should also like to pass on to the Zaghari-Ratcliffe family my thanks and those of the family of my constituent Jagtar Singh Johal for the support that they have offered his family during his detention in the Republic of India. The theocracy of Iran cites diplomatic support and consular services, but there is a litany of inconsistency, whether in relation to the Republic of India in relation to Jagtar Singh Johal or to the Islamic Republic of Iran in relation to the Zaghari-Ratcliffe case. In order to get over some of those inconsistencies, will a Minister from the Foreign Office agree to attend the all-party parliamentary group on deaths abroad and consular services and assistance, to listen to the lived experiences of families who are undergoing this situation here in the UK while their family members are being held abroad, whether in Iran or anywhere else? It is that lived experience that will inform best practice in the Ministry.
On and off, I have been dealing with consular cases in
the middle east region since 2010. I have met a number
of families in very difficult situations following a
variety of crises, as well as those who have been held.
In each particular case, we have tried to engage the
consular service, which tries to look at each case
individually and to apply its sense of what is in the
best interests of each individual being held abroad.
The contact has to be very good between them and the
families, but I know that there is not always agreement
about what might be in the person’s best interest. My
right hon. Friend the Member for Rutland and Melton
(Sir Alan Duncan) is the Minister with responsibility
for consular matters within the
Department—[Interruption.] One
of my ministerial colleagues has principal
responsibility for all consular matters, and I will
certainly ensure that the hon. Gentleman’s request is
passed
on—[Interruption.] The
Minister responsible is my hon. Friend the Member for
West Worcestershire (Harriett Baldwin). We have heard
the hon. Gentleman’s request, and I am sure that a
colleague will attend that APPG meeting if a request
comes through... Oral answer (Lords) on Migration: International Students To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to remove international students from the net migration statistics. My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper and declare my interests as set out in the register. My Lords, the independent Office for National Statistics, which follows best international practice, produces the migration statistics. The Government do not seek to influence that. The Migration Advisory Committee also recommended that students should not be taken out of the net migration statistics. There is no plan to limit the number of genuine international students who can come to the UK, and university-sponsored student visa application numbers are at a record high. My Lords, the United States, Australia, France and Germany have all achieved greater growth in the numbers of international students. In the light of that, does my noble friend believe that we have the right strategy? What is happening across Whitehall to ensure that we really grip this issue and make sure that, when it comes to international students, we are doing everything we can to ensure that the brightest and the breast—the brightest and the best—choose Britain? Oh! Well, my Lords, to keep abreast of the international growth figures, I think we should measure our success by the number of students applying for visas and coming here to study. There has been a 26% increase in visa applications since 2010-11, so we are certainly not deterring students from coming here to study; indeed, the UK is becoming an increasingly popular place to come to for study. Perhaps I may quote from the MAC report. It states: “Part of that joint action”— in terms of improving the country’s image— “would be to talk less about students in the net migration target as it is possible that the repeated discussions of students in the target is itself contributing”, to the perceived problem. My Lords, the Minister mentioned the MAC report. That report says very clearly that the number one reason why international students do not choose Britain as their number one choice is the lack of post-study work opportunities. Does the Minister agree that we are losing out in growth rates? Should we not bring back the two-year post-graduation work visa so that we can compete with Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States of America, let alone the EU countries? The noble Lord might like to know that the number of student visas granted to students from India, a country he often asks me about, has increased by 33%, so there are certainly no problems there. Indeed, we have gone further than the MAC recommended on post-study leave to remain and increased it to six months for graduates, and we will increase it to 12 months for postgraduate students. My Lords, why are the Government having such difficulty getting people to believe their position on international students? I have just explained that in my reply to my noble friend Lord Holmes: we whip this question up although the facts before us belie it. I simply do not believe that a 26% increase in the number of visa applications represents a country struggling. My Lords, the Minister mentioned India. Did she hear the fascinating series of programmes, “As Others See Us”, on Radio 4 last week? A speaker from India asked—it was a rhetorical question—how we expect India to strengthen its ties with Britain without relaxing visa restrictions. He cited the period allowed for post-study work as being too short. He said, “You cannot take from us a free trade agreement without lowering the immigration restrictions which keep us out”. Are the slight extensions to post-study leave adequate to answer that question? To answer that question, look at the number of Indian students who are not just applying for but succeeding in getting student visas. How others see us, in terms of how Indian students see us, is as a country which they wish to learn from and study in. I know there is an issue about visa relaxation with India, because I was in Delhi last year, but the figures do not bear that out. Indian students are applying to universities in this country in droves. Does not my noble friend accept that if we reflected on the wisdom of the question of my noble friend Lord Holmes and the points made by the noble Lord, Lord Bilimoria, our vital statistics would certainly improve? I made the point that our vital statistics have improved massively in the past eight to nine years. There is no cap on the number of students who can come to study here and, as the future immigration White Paper showed, have great prospects here. My Lords, since 2011, the number of international students enrolled in UK universities has risen just 3%, compared to a 40% increase for the United States. It is the number of students, not just the visa applications, that is important. Given the immense economic and social benefit of international students, does not the Minister agree that the Government should take further steps to increase our global market share of international students? My Lords, the fact that there is no cap on student numbers is all to the good. People want to come to this country to study, they are doing so in increasing numbers and, as I pointed out just before we broke up for the Christmas Recess, the increase in post-study leave is to be welcomed and will benefit students. My Lords, my noble friend is, I believe, saying that we want to encourage international students to come to this country. The confusion arises because they feel that our net migration objectives run counter to that. Would it not be simplest to identify the students coming to and leaving this country separately in national statistics? My Lords, we are following the advice of the independent Migration Advisory Committee. Similarly, the ONS takes that view of migration statistics. Indeed, we are in line with many countries in the world which do the same. In fact, because there is no limit on the number of students who come here, there is no disbenefit to students being counted in those figures. Extracts from Second reading debate (Lords) of the Offensive Weapons Bill Lord Bilimoria (CB)
There has been concern from the shooting
community about this Bill. Shooting is a
global, Olympic sport. As things stand,
shooting has not been included in the
Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 2022. Is
the Minister aware of this? I brought this up
with Matt Hancock, the
current Health Secretary, who was at that time
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and
Sport. He assured me that the Government were
very supportive of shooting being included in
the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. I have
had representations from the president of the
National Rifle Association
of India,
who is now also vice-president of the
International Shooting Sport Federation, his
Highness Raninder Singh, expressing his
concerns. India and
Britain win many medals in shooting in the
Commonwealth Games. It is an inclusive sport
for all ages—people shoot over the age of
50—competed by small countries in the
Commonwealth. The Falkland Islands put forward
a big shooting team. Will the Minister assure
us that the Government are making every effort
to include shooting in the Birmingham
Commonwealth Games in 2022? Lord Bethell (Con)
This issue deserves our attention
and I pay tribute to the Home Secretary and the
Home Office for moving quickly. However, there
is a fear that simply toughening sentences and
strengthening legal definitions are not enough
to make a change on this issue, and are
potentially distracting. Acid attacks happen
all over the world, and there is a pattern of
behaviour by Governments in different
countries. Parliaments instinctively reach for
the rulebook to address these horrendous
crimes, but the story of legislation on acid
attacks around the world is not encouraging. In
the national and regional legislatures of the
countries that are most affected, such as
Bangladesh, Pakistan, India and
Cambodia, you will see passionate politicians
trying to make a difference by introducing
frightening-sounding new laws. But these have
little effect on the cultural and social causes
of the problem. The police and the judges seem
incapable of stopping this crime, and the
suffering continues... My Lords, I too believe that the Bill is both timely and necessary. As a Sikh, I would like to voice my appreciation of the sensitivity shown by the protection of the existing right of Sikhs to wear a short kirpan for religious reasons. However, it appears that the common Sikh practice of presenting a full-length kirpan, or sword, as a token of esteem or appreciation to those who have made a significant contribution to Sikh ideals, such as tolerance and respect for other faiths, has been overlooked and is not currently protected. The recipients of this honour do not have to be Sikhs. I have made presentations on behalf of the Sikh community to His Royal Highness Prince Charles, when he joined us as the main guest at a major function at the Royal Albert Hall, and to the late Lord Weatherill, the former Speaker of the House of Commons, for his work with the Sikh community in India and Britain. Years earlier, the Sikh community in Leicester honoured Sir John Templeton, founder of the Templeton Prize, after he awarded me the UK equivalent for furthering religious understanding. For Sikhs, this custom is no less important than the protection given in the Bill to the use of a sword for theatrical performances or for its keeping for historical reasons. Unfortunately, the presentation and keeping of this token of esteem is not protected in the proposed legislation. It is important that, as the noble Lord, Lord Lucas, so eloquently put it, we do not criminalise people unintendedly. On behalf of the UK Sikh community, I will seek a small amendment to the existing wording to ensure that the presentation and receipt of this traditional ceremonial Sikh honour remains protected.
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