Monday Volume 524 7 March 2011 No. 127 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Monday 7 March 2011 £5·00 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2011 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Parliamentary Click-Use Licence, available online through The National Archives website at www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/information-management/our-services/parliamentary-licence-information.htm Enquiries to The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU; e-mail: [email protected] 621 7 MARCH 2011 622 Mrs May: I understand where the hon. Gentleman is House of Commons trying to lead his question. Of course there are rules on that offence in relation to exclusions from the United Monday 7 March 2011 Kingdom. Decisions on exclusions are taken by the Home Secretary on the basis of evidence put forward by the UK Border Agency. The House met at half-past Two o’clock Mr James Clappison (Hertsmere) (Con): On temporary residence, is it not clear that under the Government’s PRAYERS plans students are welcome to come and study in this country, and, indeed, should be made welcome? However, [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] is it not part of the inheritance of this Government that large numbers of people have used the study route as a means of coming to the country to work, rather than to study? Will my right hon. Friend give me an assurance Oral Answers to Questions that this Government will bear down on bogus students and bogus colleges who abuse the system? Mrs May: I am grateful to my hon. Friend for his HOME DEPARTMENT question, and I am happy to give him precisely that assurance in relation to the stance this Government are taking. It is perfectly clear from the figures that, sadly, The Secretary of State was asked— all too many people have used the student visa route as Immigration System a means simply of coming to the UK to work. There are some very good examples of colleges that exist in name 1. Dr Thérèse Coffey (Suffolk Coastal) (Con): What only, such as the college that had two lecturers covering steps she plans to take to decouple temporary residence 940 students. I hope there is cross-House agreement from permanent settlement in the immigration system. that that sort of abuse must be stopped, but we do want [44040] to ensure that legitimate students wanting to study legitimate courses at legitimate institutions come here. The Secretary of State for the Home Department (Mrs Theresa May): The Government have pledged to Ian Lucas (Wrexham) (Lab): Is it the Home Secretary’s break the link between temporary migration and permanent intention to scrap identity cards for foreign nationals, settlement. Settling in Britain should be a privilege to and if so, how will that assist in preventing individuals be earned, not an automatic add-on to a temporary way who are here on visas from overstaying? in. We have already announced that we will introduce a new permanent limit on non-EU economic migrants, Mrs May: The answer to the hon. Gentleman’s question with a reduction in the number of visas in the next is no: the biometric residence permits will continue. financial year from 28,000 to 21,700, a fall of over 20%. The Government will consult later this year on Local Crime and Policing Website breaking the link between work and settlement. 3. Oliver Colvile (Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport) Dr Coffey: My constituents are largely concerned not (Con): What representations she has received from by people who work here temporarily, but by people members of the public on the local crime and policing who work here for a short amount of time and then can website. [44042] settle permanently. Is there not a case for a review of the criteria for permanent settlement, to try to avoid this The Minister for Policing and Criminal Justice (Nick kind of practice? Herbert): Since its launch on 31 January, our street level crime mapping website police.uk has received almost Mrs May: I am grateful to my hon. Friend for her 400 million hits. The website is a strong example of this supplementary question. We will review the entire question Government’s commitment to greater transparency in of permanent settlement including the criteria for it as public services, by giving communities the information part of our review of the whole immigration system. We they need to hold their local police to account. will make announcements on that shortly, but I can tell my hon. Friend that we have already tightened the Oliver Colvile: I have received a number of positive settlement criteria in April, by introducing, for example, comments on the crime website maps. Does my right a new criminality threshold so all applicants must be hon. Friend have any plans or initiatives to add anything clear of unspent convictions when applying, a new more to them? income requirement for skilled and highly skilled migrants applying for settlement, and reform of the English Nick Herbert: Yes, the Government intend to build language requirements. on the information currently given. There are six trailblazing police forces looking at how this can be done, including Paul Flynn (Newport West) (Lab): Regardless of whether Lincolnshire police and West Yorkshire police, who are applicants are applying for temporary or permanent looking at how we might supply sentencing outcome residence, and of whether they have friends in high information so the public know not only that the crime places, should we not restrict the admission of foreigners was committed, but what happened afterwards in the convicted of paedophilia offences? criminal justice system. 623 Oral Answers7 MARCH 2011 Oral Answers 624 Toby Perkins (Chesterfield) (Lab): In the interest of Lorraine Fullbrook: What can be done to engage transparency, will the Minister consider adding to the young people early in order to prevent their engaging in value of the mapping crimes website by including figures antisocial behaviour? on the dozens of police who will not be on the streets because of the huge cuts his Government are imposing James Brokenshire: The issue relating to young people on our police forces? and antisocial behaviour is important. It is also worth recognising that the biggest victims of antisocial behaviour Nick Herbert: Oh dear, the hon. Gentleman has are young people themselves. The Government are focused missed the point. If he looks at the website police.uk, he on intervening early; the early intervention grant, which will see that the neighbourhood policing teams are is worth about £2.2 billion, will support activities to shown alongside the area in which the individual lives. help young people start off in a positive way. Clearly, Every force up and down the country is committed to young people can be victims of antisocial behaviour, protecting neighbourhood policing, and those officers which is why it is important that we take action early to will remain on the streets for the public as savings are prevent it in their communities. made in the back and middle offices. Alun Michael (Cardiff South and Penarth) (Lab/Co-op): Does the Minister accept that in dealing with adults Antisocial Behaviour involved in neighbourhood nuisance, low-level violence and intimidation, antisocial behaviour orders have been 4. Mrs Helen Grant (Maidstone and The Weald) an invaluable part of the toolkit? Will he give an assurance (Con): What plans she has to assist police forces to that they will continue to be available to police and local tackle antisocial behaviour. [44043] authorities seeking to reduce antisocial behaviour? 15. Gavin Barwell (Croydon Central) (Con): What James Brokenshire: The right hon. Gentleman will be plans she has to assist police forces to tackle antisocial aware that we are consulting on a new toolkit, whereby behaviour. [44054] the tools are reduced in number to five core ones. The problem is that ASBOs have been used less and less and 18. Lorraine Fullbrook (South Ribble) (Con): What the number of breaches has increased. We are clear plans she has to assist police forces to tackle antisocial about the need for civil orders, which is why we are behaviour. [44057] consulting on the new powers. They are better tailored and will ensure that the civil standard of proof is used The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the to make the orders easier to obtain. They will also be Home Department (James Brokenshire): The Government able to put in place positive requirements to break recently launched a consultation on reforming the toolkit patterns that may lead to antisocial behaviour and for dealing with antisocial behaviour. The proposals crime. will reduce the bureaucracy, delay and cost that hamper the police and their partners. We are also working to Kerry McCarthy (Bristol East) (Lab): In Bristol, the help police forces improve their service to victims by, for police have made very good use of the antisocial behaviour example, supporting eight police forces in trialling a legislation—the acceptable behaviour contracts and new approach to handling calls on antisocial behaviour. ASBOs—to tackle kerb crawling and on-street prostitution, which blights the lives of many residents of the Eastville Mrs Grant: Does my hon. Friend agree that community area of my constituency. Can the Minister assure the partnerships and statutory partnerships are key in dealing House that any replacement for the current antisocial with antisocial behaviour? behaviour legislation will continue to give the police the powers to tackle this problem? James Brokenshire: My hon. Friend makes an important James Brokenshire: I am grateful to the hon. Lady for point. The nature of antisocial behaviour means that highlighting that specific example and I hope that her the main emphasis in tackling it lies with the police, community will take part in the ongoing consultation because much of this behaviour is crime, but other on the new toolkit, which will last until the middle of partners, such as community safety partnerships, play May.