Monday Volume 648 29 October 2018 No. 197 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Monday 29 October 2018 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2018 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 631 29 OCTOBER 2018 632 the language? That is not always the case with other House of Commons ethnic groups, so it is a question not only of providing sufficient funds but of encouraging them to learn the Monday 29 October 2018 language and become a part of our community. Sajid Javid: It is right, of course, that this Government The House met at half-past Two o’clock do more to welcome all communities and help them to integrate. That is why the Government published—I published it when I was Communities Secretary—an PRAYERS integration Green Paper, which we will build on. It is also worth commending the work that World Jewish [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] Relief does to help all communities to integrate. Mr Speaker: In the light of the terrible tragedy in Leicester, it is with particular feeling that I call Mr Oral Answers to Questions Keith Vaz. Keith Vaz (Leicester East) (Lab): I thank the Home Secretary for the comments that he made following the HOME DEPARTMENT death of Khun Vichai and four others in the helicopter in Leicester. Khun Vichai was an amazing man—someone who spent so much time in Leicester and did so much The Secretary of State was asked— for the club—and he was adored by the people of ESOL Classes Leicester. He will be greatly missed, and it is kind of the Home Secretary to mention him today. 1. Mr Virendra Sharma (Ealing, Southall) (Lab): If On the substance of the question from my hon. he will extend Government support for English for Friend the Member for Ealing, Southall (Mr Sharma), Speakers of Other Languages classes to include newly the issue is not just English language lessons but the arrived asylum seekers. [907293] right to work, which goes hand in hand with being able to speak English. Will the Home Secretary look again The Secretary of State for the Home Department at the rules to make sure that those who are waiting can (Sajid Javid): With your permission, Mr Speaker, I get their right to work quicker and asylum seekers can would like first to express how shocked and appalled be fully integrated in our society? I am at the deadly gun attack that took place this weekend at the synagogue in Pittsburgh. I am sure that Sajid Javid: It will be a difficult time for the right hon. the whole House will want to join me in expressing our Gentleman’s community and he has our full support in deepest sympathies for the victims and those injured, as dealing with this tragedy. well as their families. The UK stands shoulder to shoulder On the issue of asylum seekers and support, the right with our Jewish friends across the world and utterly to work is also very important. He will know that after condemns antisemitism in all its forms. 12 months, asylum seekers start getting some rights to My thoughts today are also with the friends and work, but we are always looking at what more we can families of the victims of the terrible crash at Leicester do. City football club. I thank the emergency services for Bob Blackman (Harrow East) (Con): I associate myself their response to this awful tragedy. I know that they with the remarks by the Home Secretary in relation to did their absolute best. the terrible attack in Pittsburgh and the victims of the Turning to Question 1, Government support towards terrible tragedy in Leicester. integration is given through English language tuition, In my schools in Harrow, 161 languages are spoken but it is available only once asylum seekers are recognised and it is vital that we integrate young people, but they as refugees. This focuses resources on those recognised are getting the education. What more can we do to as being in need of protection. integrate the adults who come here and need this training, so that they can take their place in our society? Mr Sharma: I thank the Secretary of State for his response. Given the limitations on ESOL budgets, will Sajid Javid: My hon. Friend is right to raise that. He he assure me that sufficient funding will be available to may recall that the integration strategy, which was support the plan that he has in this area? launched earlier this year, talked of almost 700,000 adults in Britain who speak no or very poor English. That has Sajid Javid: The hon. Gentleman raises an important led to more work in this area, especially on using question. It is right that we support those who are given members of the communities concerned as mentors to protection in ways to integrate into British life, and try to encourage others to take up English language language is important to that. I assure him that we have learning. a good budget in this area; in 2016-17, it was £99 million of the total adult learning budget. Police and Fire Services: Collaboration Michael Fabricant (Lichfield) (Con): Does my right 2. Alex Burghart (Brentwood and Ongar) (Con): hon. Friend agree that perhaps the success of the Jewish What steps his Department is taking to encourage community in this country has been its willingness to greater collaboration between the police and fire services. integrate, to do in Rome as the Romans do and to learn [907295] 633 Oral Answers 29 OCTOBER 2018 Oral Answers 634 The Minister for Policing and the Fire Service (Mr Nick are putting the future of the fire service at risk? If Hurd): I am sure there is cross-party support for wanting austerity is really over, will he tell the House when he our emergency services to make the best use of existing will speak to the Chancellor about properly funding the resources, and the Government are extremely active in service, based on community importance, rather than encouraging greater collaboration, whether it be through sporadic demand? innovation funding, the work of the Emergency Services Collaboration Working Group or legislation that enables Mr Hurd: The hon. Lady could not be more wrong. police and crime commissioners to take on fire and We are not talking about mergers; we are talking about resource governance where a local case exists. the imperative on those deploying public money to use it in the smartest possible way and to make the best Alex Burghart: As the Minister will know, Essex is a possible use of the public resources at their disposal. It pioneer in this area, where Roger Hirst, our police and is about value for money, which of course the Labour crime commissioner, has brought fire services in. Will Front-Bench team has no interest in at all. the Minister consider allowing the pooling of capital budgets to enable better joined-up working of back Modern Slavery offices? 3. James Cartlidge (South Suffolk) (Con): What steps Mr Hurd: I completely agree with my hon. Friend. the Government are taking to reduce modern slavery. Roger Hirst is doing a fantastic job in seizing the [907296] opportunity to get more out of existing resources, and I completely understand the point about capital budgets. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the There are restrictions in place for good reasons, but Home Department (Victoria Atkins): The Government Roger and other PCCs can already use police and fire are tackling the abhorrent crime of modern slavery budgets to invest in shared functions, such as joint back both at home and overseas. We have strengthened the offices, although both fire and police budgets need to lawenforcement response and introduced new requirements make an appropriate contribution to the shared service. for businesses to report on slavery in their supply chains, and are transforming the support we provide to victims. Meg Hillier (Hackney South and Shoreditch) (Lab/ Internationally, we continue to work to stop modern Co-op): One of the issues with capital budgets is that slavery wherever it occurs. some services are selling their capital assets and then renting from another part of the service, which can lead James Cartlidge: I strongly welcome the steps the to very imbalanced budgets locally. Does the Minister Government are taking to tackle modern slavery. Does have a grip at the centre on the long-term impact this the Minister agree that, as we leave the EU and bring in could have? much tougher rules on unskilled immigration from the EU, we will need to be vigilant to ensure that it does not Mr Hurd: I recognise the point the hon. Lady is provide new opportunities for people traffickers who making. In taking through the enabling legislation in may seek to exploit those tougher rules? this area, we were careful to put restrictions in place to assure stakeholders in particular that it was not a takeover Victoria Atkins: Our determination to tackle modern of fire budgets, for example. Restrictions are in place, slavery will be unaltered by our exit from the EU. On and for good reasons, but we monitor the situation 6 September,the Government announced the introduction carefully and listen to representations on both sides of of a new seasonal workers pilot for horticulture, but we the argument. are of course very alert to the risks noted by the independent Migration Advisory Committee, which my Alberto Costa (South Leicestershire) (Con): Leicestershire hon.