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28 Mar 2007 : Column WS148
Immigration: Securing the UK Border
The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Scotland of Asthal): My honourable friend the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Nationality (Mr Liam Byrne) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
I am today publishing a new strategy entitled Securing the UK Border, the terms of reference for the new Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), a summary of the responses received to our recent consultation on establishing a Migration Advisory Committee, and terms of reference for a new Migration Impacts Forum. Copies of all documents have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Effective immigration systems require effective controls. The Securing the UK Border strategy is the third in the series of papers setting out how we will henceforth create a new offshore border control system, and strengthen UK border security here at home. It sets out how we intend to strengthen our borders against those who seek to abuse our laws and present a threat to our security while at the same time making the system simpler and faster for legitimate, low-risk travellers. The main proposals include:
Visa Waiver Test: we will henceforth assume that all non-EEA countries will face a visa regime unless they meet a sufficient benchmark against a basket of immigration, crime, security and economic criteria. A test will be conducted over 2007 with regimes maintained, lifted or imposed during 2008-09. In tandem, we will be reviewing the transit-without-visa concession and the direct-airside-transit-visa regime;
Biometric capture: underpinning our proposals is the need to establish the identity of those seeking to travel to the UK. We will therefore capture the biometrics of all non-EEA passengers before travel to the UK or on arrival;
Visitors: we want to make the rights and obligations of those visiting the UK clearer and more transparent. During 2007, we will consult on the creation of distinct and separate routes for those coming for six months or less as tourists, business visitors and sponsored family visitors;
Forced Marriage: we will also consult on the introduction of measures to address the problem of forced marriage, including raising the minimum age for spouse and sponsor and examining the case for introducing some form of English language test prior to entry for those spouses intending to settle.
We are committed to attracting people with the skills Britain needs from around the world. With our policy set, a points-based system will, starting from next year, ensure that we only admit to work and study those migrants with a contribution to make to Britain.
We believe that the UK would benefit greatly from advice from a new committee of independent experts about where migration is of benefit to Britain and where it is not. There has been a full consultation on our proposals and the response I am publishing today shows strong support from the public.
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The Migration Advisory Committee will be a non-statutory advisory non-departmental public body established from April 2007. It will provide independent and evidence-based advice to Government on specific sectors and occupations in the labour market where shortages exist which can sensibly be filled by migration. In addition, the Government may, from time to time, ask the MAC to advise on other matters relating to migration.
Alongside the MAC we are also establishing a new Migration Impacts Forum (MIF) which will provide us with information and input from interested parties on the wider impacts of migration. I will co-chair this body with my honourable friend the member for Oldham East and Saddleworth and will invite membership from among those with a direct interest in issues associated with the wider impacts of migration from across the UK.
I am also announcing today a number of changes to the immigration rules relating to ministers of religion and international students, including an extension of the Science and Engineering Graduates Scheme and the Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland Scheme.
Land Registry: Key Performance Indicators and Targets
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs (Baroness Ashton of Upholland): The following list sets out the key performance indicators that have been set for Her Majesty's Land Registry for 2007-08.
Speed: percentage of official copy and search applications processed within two working days: 98 per cent; percentage of all registrations processed within 18 working days: 80 per cent.Accuracy: Percentage of registrations processed free of any error: 98.5 per cent.28 Mar 2007 : Column WS150
Percentage return on average capital employed: 3.5 per cent.
Cost per unit in cash terms3 (real terms)4: £29.95 (£20.61)
provide a sustainable and scaleable e-security infrastructure solution, providing role-based access, identity management and future e-signature functionality for Land Registry's external and business customer base.
add a further 550,000 hectares of land to the total areas of registered freehold land in England and Wales.
Complete a review of responses to the consultation paper on the Land Registration (Network Access) Rules and the Land Registration (Electronic Communications) Order and report to Ministers.
Move the Land Registry corporate website to the new portal and establish the portal for the use of one or more of the following segments; citizens, conveyancers, lenders, estate agents.
Members' and Peers' Correspondence
Lord Davies of Oldham: My honourable friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster is today publishing a report on departments’ and agencies’ performance on handling Members’ and Peers’ correspondence during 2006. Details are set out in the attached table. Figures for 2005 were published on 30 March 2006, (Official Report, col. WS 75). Departmental figures are based on substantive replies unless otherwise indicated.
The footnotes to the table provide general background information on how the figures have been compiled.
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