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House of Lords Official Report Vol. 795 Tuesday No. 257 19 February 2019 PARLIAMENTARYDEBATES (HANSARD) HOUSE OF LORDS OFFICIAL REPORT ORDEROFBUSINESS Questions Brexit: Tourism.............................................................................................................2145 Libraries: Closures........................................................................................................2147 Housing: Private Rented Sector....................................................................................2150 Brexit: Northern Ireland Backstop...............................................................................2152 Organ Donation (Deemed Consent) Bill Report ...........................................................................................................................2154 Honda in Swindon Statement......................................................................................................................2154 Healthcare (International Arrangements) Bill Committee (1st Day)....................................................................................................2165 Amritsar Massacre: Centenary Question for Short Debate.............................................................................................2223 Healthcare (International Arrangements) Bill Committee (1st Day) (Continued)...............................................................................2238 Lords wishing to be supplied with these Daily Reports should give notice to this effect to the Printed Paper Office. No proofs of Daily Reports are provided. Corrections for the bound volume which Lords wish to suggest to the report of their speeches should be clearly indicated in a copy of the Daily Report, which, with the column numbers concerned shown on the front cover, should be sent to the Editor of Debates, House of Lords, within 14 days of the date of the Daily Report. This issue of the Official Report is also available on the Internet at https://hansard.parliament.uk/lords/2019-02-19 The first time a Member speaks to a new piece of parliamentary business, the following abbreviations are used to show their party affiliation: Abbreviation Party/Group CB Cross Bench Con Conservative DUP Democratic Unionist Party GP Green Party Ind Lab Independent Labour Ind LD Independent Liberal Democrat Ind SD Independent Social Democrat Ind UU Independent Ulster Unionist Lab Labour Lab Co-op Labour and Co-operative Party LD Liberal Democrat LD Ind Liberal Democrat Independent Non-afl Non-affiliated PC Plaid Cymru UKIP UK Independence Party UUP Ulster Unionist Party No party affiliation is given for Members serving the House in a formal capacity, the Lords spiritual, Members on leave of absence or Members who are otherwise disqualified from sitting in the House. © Parliamentary Copyright House of Lords 2019, this publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 2145 Brexit: Tourism [19 FEBRUARY 2019] Brexit: Tourism 2146 House of Lords Lord Ashton of Hyde: I do not know what review group the noble Lord is referring to, but I can assure Tuesday 19 February 2019 him that, via the Tourism Industry Council, the tourism sector is engaging and the Home Office has said it will 2.30 pm engage on the issue of seasonal workers. We need a provision, where if an industry is reliant on seasonal Prayers—read by the Lord Bishop of Chichester. workers, like some agriculture is, the future immigration system is capable of handling that. Brexit: Tourism Question Lord Dobbs (Con): Would my noble friend like to bring a sense of balance to this discussion, and perhaps 2.37 pm some common sense? Asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno Noble Lords: Oh! To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to guarantee the adequate staffing of tourism and hospitality projects following the Lord Dobbs: Thank you. Like other Members of United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European this noble House, has my noble friend noticed the Union. latest employment figures from today? They show a record number of jobs in the UK economy, a fall— TheParliamentaryUnder-Secretaryof State,Department again—in unemployment and a record level of women for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (Lord Ashton of in employment: the highest number of women employed Hyde) (Con): My Lords, the Government have been in our economy in our history. Does he not think that clear that we want EU nationals who have built their that should be emphasised rather more than all the lives here to remain and that EU nationals will continue doom and gloom we keep getting? to be able to work or study in the UK. We will continue to engage with the sector on the future immigration Lord Ashton of Hyde: Of course, I agree with my system, which will cater for a range of skill levels noble friend that it should be emphasised. The issue across sectors. The tourism sector deal is in negotiation, this brings for certain sectors is whether they can and it has a strong focus on future-proofing the sector. compete in attracting the workforce. As far as the tourism industry is concerned, this sector deal will try Lord Roberts of Llandudno (LD): Is the Minister to address that, because we need a higher-wage economy aware that KPMG forecasts that we will lose 1 million which will increase productivity. We need to use things workers in the tourism industry over the next few such as automation and training to avoid the turnover years? In Llandudno—where I am from of course—there that exists in the tourism industry. However, I certainly is great concern over tourism job losses. Not only that, agree with my noble friend that the Government’s but there is a threat to Welsh agriculture following our record on employment is excellent. new status and the threat of a possible loss of 7,000 jobs at Airbus. In Parliament, I am told that over half of Lord Hannay of Chiswick (CB): My Lords, would our catering staff are from outside the United Kingdom. the Minister be prepared to say at the Dispatch Box Do the Government wish to be remembered for causing that any university student who is offered a place by a the worst recession in nearly a hundred years? British university,as registered under the Higher Education Act, and anybody employed as a researcher or an Lord Ashton of Hyde: No, my Lords. Tourism in academic at those universities, will be able to come Wales, to which the noble Lord referred, is a devolved here without any question being raised about how competence and Visit Wales is in charge of that as part much they are earning? of the Welsh Government, but I am not going to rely on that. Wehave been engaging with the sector extensively over the last two years, and we are aware of the Lord Ashton of Hyde: I think it would be foolish of immigration priorities. The sector has submitted evidence me to make Home Office policy at the Dispatch Box to the Migration Advisory Committee on the shortage without having considered it very carefully, but I will occupation list. In respect of specific levers to mitigate look at what the noble Lord says and tell my noble workplace shortages, we need to improve productivity, friend from the Home Office about it. invest in skills and career development, and reduce high turnover. These are a key focus of the proposed Lord Wigley (PC): My Lords, the noble Lord, tourism sector deal, which has now entered into formal Lord Dobbs, referred to high employment. That is the negotiations; we hope to announce it shortly. very problem: hotels and restaurants in the tourist industry, in Wales and elsewhere, are unable to find Lord Watts (Lab): My Lords, I understand that the labour. Some of the workers who had come from review body has accepted the case for farm workers continental Europe are going back, partly because of being given a special deal after Brexit. Who has this the value of the pound and partly because of uncertainty. review group been talking to? Is it talking to tourism In these circumstances, there needs to be a positive industry groups and musicians et cetera? It seems to programme to ensure the availability of labour; otherwise, me to have lost the ability to see what is going on in industries such as tourism, which are vital to Snowdonia the economy. and elsewhere, will crumble. 2147 Brexit: Tourism [LORDS] Libraries: Closures 2148 Lord Ashton of Hyde: I am sure that Visit Wales is details of public library closures for councils in England, addressing the problems for the tourist industry in itmonitorschangestolibraryserviceprovisionthroughout Wales. As I said, the tourism sector deal is trying to England. If DCMS receives representations that changes raise career prospects in the tourism industry by increasing agreed by a council might mean that that council is skills, reducing turnover and enabling technology such failingtomeetitsstatutorydutytoprovideacomprehensive as automation to help. From 2021, the new immigration and efficient library service, it carefully considers the system will address some of those points, and the evidence before deciding whether a local inquiry is Home Office has clearly said that it will engage over needed. the next few months—that is the point of a White Paper. Baroness Pinnock (LD): I thank the Minister for his reply. He will know that the Government set up the Baroness Doocey (LD): The Government have Libraries Taskforce, which produced an action plan in introduced a seasonal agricultural workers scheme to 2016. I thought it was quite an admirable report,
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