Supported by Minority Ethnic Matters Overview 4 March 2019 ISSUE 602 MEMO is produced by the Scottish Council of Jewish Communities (SCoJeC) in partnership with BEMIS – empowering Scotland's ethnic and cultural minority communities. It provides an overview of information of interest to minority ethnic communities in Scotland, including parliamentary activity at Holyrood and Westminster, new publications, consultations, forthcoming conferences, and news reports. Contents Immigration and Asylum Other News Community Relations Bills in Progress Equality Consultations Racism, Religious Hatred, and Discrimination Job Opportunities Other Scottish Parliament and Government Events, Conferences, and Training Other UK Parliament and Government Useful Links Other Publications Note that some weblinks, particularly of newspaper articles, are only valid for a short period of time, usually around a month, and that the Scottish and UK Parliament and Government websites have been redesigned, so that links published in previous issues of MEMO may no longer work. To find archive material on these websites, copy details from MEMO into the relevant search facility. Please send information for inclusion in MEMO to [email protected] and click here to be added to the mailing list. Immigration and Asylum Scottish Parliament Motion S5M-16102 Emma Harper (SNP): Dumfries and Galloway Council United in Support of EU Citizens – That the Parliament congratulates Dumfries and Galloway Council on agreeing, at a meeting of the full council and with cross party support, a motion that it considers states unequivocally to EU citizens that they are welcome in the local authority, and that the council wants them to stay; shares what it considers the council’s concerns over the potential impact of Brexit on the cultural, social and economic wellbeing of the region; understands that the motion expresses particular concern regarding the UK Government’s £30,000 cap on tier 2 visas, and the impact that such a cap could have on the recruitment of vital roles such as carers, teachers, agricultural and domestic workers, areas in which the region has challenges recruiting; emphasises what it sees as the concerns of people across Scotland regarding the Brexit date being only days away and, 1 it considers, the UK Government being no closer to achieving a deal with the EU, and congratulates the Scottish Government for what it sees as its work to protect Scotland from the harmful impacts of Brexit to every sector of society and the economy. https://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx?SearchType=Advance& ReferenceNumbers=S5M-16102 UK Parliament, Home Affairs Committee Inquiry into English Channel migrant crossings: evidence session http://data.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/committeeevidence.svc/evidencedocument/ho me-affairs-committee/english-channel-crossings/oral/97246.html UK Parliament, House of Commons Oral Answers Immigration: Workers’ Rights Paul Sweeney (Labour Co-op): What assessment he has made of the potential effect of proposals in his immigration White Paper on workers’ rights. [909398] Reply from the Minister for Immigration (Caroline Nokes): Foreign nationals admitted to the UK to work under the proposals set out in the White Paper will benefit from the same employment rights and protections as the rest of the UK workforce, such as the national minimum wage, paid annual leave and protection from discrimination. Paul Sweeney: The Minister might be interested to know that when I criticised aspects of the White Paper last week, particularly the proposed £30,000 salary threshold, her colleague the Secretary of State for Scotland said that he shared my concerns and that he would be making a submission to the consultation about the flawed nature of that arbitrary salary threshold. Does the Minister share her colleague’s concerns about the impact that that threshold will have on young skilled employment in Scotland? Reply from Caroline Nokes: The hon. Gentleman will be aware that when the Home Secretary published the White Paper, he made it clear that this was the start of a year-long conversation about the proposal contained therein for us to move to a single system based on people’s skills and not on where they come from. He will also be aware that the Immigration Bill has recently moved into its Committee stage, and we heard evidence the week before last from a range of experts giving us the benefit of their views on salary thresholds, including the Migration Advisory Committee, which proposed the £30,000 threshold. Kirstene Hair (Conservative): Part of the immigration White Paper covers seasonal workers. I warmly welcome the seasonal agricultural workers scheme that will be implemented this spring, but can the Minister assure me that she will continue to monitor it to ensure that it fulfils the industry’s requirements and that she will not rule out retaining it as a permanent process? Reply from Caroline Nokes: I commend my hon. Friend for her enthusiasm and determination to see a seasonal workers scheme introduced. As she knows, the pilot starts this month and we are determined to work closely with the horticultural sector and those companies that are piloting the scheme to ensure that we evaluate it thoroughly and look for the best way to take it forward. https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2019-02-25/debates/1F11A943-D7E3-4E68- 8ECB-8DFBC3E75180/ImmigrationWorkers%E2%80%99Rights The White Paper referred to above can be read at https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment _data/file/766465/The-UKs-future-skills-based-immigration-system-print-ready.pdf 2 Windrush Generation: Compensation Lilian Greenwood (Labour): What progress his Department has made on providing compensation to victims of the Windrush scandal. [909389] Reply from the Secretary of State for the Home Department (Sajid Javid): Successive Governments have failed the Windrush generation, but it remains this Government’s priority to put those wrongs right. On 8 February, I issued a written ministerial statement to inform the House that the Government response to the Windrush compensation scheme consultation will set out the details of the scheme along with accompanying guidance and rules. The response will be published shortly. Lilian Greenwood: When the Home Secretary was appointed he told this House that it was his first priority to help those affected by the Windrush situation. That was in July last year—over seven months ago. The consultation ended on 16 November, but he still cannot—or will not—tell us when the final details of the scheme will be announced. If this is how he treats his first priority, I would hate to think how he treats the others. When can my constituents expect the compensation they so desperately need and deserve? Reply from Sajid Javid: It remains a first priority, which is why since I have been appointed we have helped more than 2,000 people through the Windrush taskforce; created the Windrush scheme; helped almost 3,500 people to apply for citizenship; waived thousands of pounds in costs; and set up an urgent assistance programme for exceptional cases. The hon. Lady is right to raise the compensation scheme. It is hugely important that we do it properly and get it right. That is why we have held a consultation, with an independent reviewer, to make sure that we look at all the issues and it is done properly. Afzal Khan (Labour): Since our urgent question, the Jamaican commissioner has joined calls from across the House to halt deportation flights to Jamaica. After Windrush, where we know that hundreds of people were wrongfully deported or detained, this Government cannot be trusted to follow the correct process. What is their plan for future deportation flights, and will the Home Secretary suspend them until the lessons of Windrush have been learned? Reply from Sajid Javid: As the hon. Gentleman will know, this issue has been discussed in the House. He refers to the charter flight to Jamaica on 6 February. On that flight were 29 foreign national offenders, all convicted of serious crimes. He will know that in each of those cases—as I said, they were all foreign national offenders—we took extra care to ensure that none were subject to the Windrush scheme. Every single one arrived after 1 January 1973 and there is no evidence to indicate that any had been here before that date. He will know that, under a law passed by a previous Labour Government, the Home Secretary is mandated by law to issue a deportation order for anyone who is given a sentence of more than one year. Surely he is not asking me to break the law. https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2019-02-25/debates/A211D5B3-20E4-4493- A624-B17F90F23A49/WindrushGenerationCompensation EU Settlement Scheme John Howell (Conservative): What support [is the Minister] providing to applicants to the EU settlement scheme. [909390] Reply from the Secretary of State for the Home Department (Sajid Javid): EU citizens make a huge contribution to our economy and society, and we want them all to stay. The EU settlement scheme enables them to do so. The scheme will be free of charge, and we are putting in place measures to ensure it is streamlined, user-friendly and accessible to all prospective applicants. John Howell: With exit day drawing closer, can my right hon. Friend confirm that the Government will do everything to protect the rights of British citizens in the EU and EU 3 citizens in the UK, regardless of whether there is a deal or not? Reply from Sajid Javid: I am very happy to give my hon. Friend that assurance. It is vital that we give people full reassurance that their rights will be protected as we leave the EU, which is why we have made it crystal clear that, whether there is a deal or no deal, the rights of EU citizens resident here will be protected through the EU settlement scheme.