Hansard

I welcome today’s debate on the Equal Opportunities Committee’s migration and trafficking report. Our wide-ranging inquiry covered issues of both reserved and devolved responsibility, and it involved taking evidence from the Scottish Government, Scottish agencies and United Kingdom departments. As convener of the committee, I thank the committee members and clerks for their hard work, and I pay tribute to all those witnesses who made such a valuable contribution to the inquiry, especially the 25 migrants with whom the committee met informally in Glasgow last June. Hearing first hand about their experiences was tremendously helpful in gaining an understanding of the issues that are faced by migrants who have settled in Scotland.

Concern was expressed about the confusion between UK departments and the UK Border Agency regarding the extent of devolved responsibilities. In his evidence, the Cabinet Secretary for Justice was critical of negative attitudes at the highest level within the UKBA. The committee considers that the Scottish Government has a responsibility to do all that it can to overcome any intransigence at a UK level, to build a working relationship and to ensure that Scotland has a voice in developing migration and trafficking policies.

As in other inquiries, the lack of data was an issue for the committee: the availability of migration and trafficking data relating to Scotland was poor. The response from the Minister of State for Immigration confirms that the UKBA does not hold or collect migration statistics on a UK basis. The committee recommended that a protocol be established to make data sharing at a UK level more formal and transparent because the more accurate the data, the more that trends in migration and trafficking can inform the development of policies and the delivery of services to local communities. The issue is complex, but the committee stands by its recommendation, as data must be collected and shared.

Public perceptions in Scotland about migrants tended to be negative and were based, for the most part, on misinformation. Terminology has played a part in perpetuating negative stereotypes. The terms “migrant” and “asylum seeker” have often been used as interchangeable generic terms.

There was a lack of awareness, and even total ignorance, about migrants from outwith the European Union, who include economic migrants, asylum seekers, failed asylum seekers, illegal immigrants and refugees.

There was also a lack of awareness about migrants from within the EU, who fall into three distinct groups: EU nationals from countries that joined the EU prior to 2004, who have the same rights as UK citizens; accession 8 nationals, who are from the eastern European countries that joined the EU in 2004 and are allowed to work in the UK if they register with the Government’s worker registration scheme; and A2 nationals, who are from countries that joined the EU in January 2007 and have restricted rights in relation to work and access to benefits and housing and homelessness assistance.

In fact, most migrants come here legitimately, bringing skills and experience that are needed to help the economy. They tend to live in private rented accommodation rather than in social or local authority housing.

Witnesses blamed negative perceptions of migration issues on media reporting. The committee thought that the criticism was justified. We were therefore encouraged to hear from the National Union of Journalists about the steps that are being taken to improve journalists’ knowledge and understanding of the issues. It is hoped that the improvements will extend to the reporting of today’s debate. If our inquiry results only in more analytical reporting of migration issues, it will have been worth while.

Another worrying issue that emerged in our inquiry is the extent to which migrants lack an understanding of their rights and responsibilities. A number of migrants in Glasgow revealed that they are paying high rents for the privilege of living in substandard, overcrowded, squalid conditions. Some people had been lured here by unscrupulous landlords who had placed advertisements in publications abroad, offering accommodation and jobs that failed to materialise. The committee therefore welcomes the measures in the Private Rented Housing (Scotland) Bill, which will strengthen regulation of the sector. We also welcome the current review of the landlord registration scheme.

Trafficking is commonly referred to as sexual exploitation, but there are many forms of human trafficking, including forced labour, domestic servitude and child trafficking. The committee was appalled to learn that child trafficking, which is an activity that we associate more with third-world countries, is very much an issue in towns and cities in Scotland.

Glasgow City Council is to be commended for taking the lead in the pilot of a national trafficking toolkit. The committee called on the Scottish Government and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities to improve awareness of child trafficking among all Scotland’s local authorities, and recommended that best practice from Glasgow be shared and widely disseminated. We welcomed the scoping exercise that Scotland’s Commissioner for Children and Young People is undertaking, in which the extent and nature of child trafficking into and within Scotland are being considered. The report will be published on 14 March.

Trafficking is a narrative journey. An individual might be trafficked into forced labour and then moved into prostitution. The committee acknowledged the tremendous work of the trafficking awareness raising alliance project and other agencies in supporting victims, whose specific needs can be difficult to assess.

It is an offence to act as an unlicensed gangmaster. The Gangmasters Licensing Authority has responsibility for tackling and regulating the supply of workers in agriculture, forestry, horticulture, shellfish gathering, food processing and packaging. The GLA’s power of arrest does not cover Scotland. The committee considered that the power of arrest should be extended to Scotland and welcomed the Secretary of State for Scotland’s commitment to encourage dialogue with the Scottish Government, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the GLA on the issue.

The extension of the provisions of the Gangmasters (Licensing) Act 2004 to the construction industry is welcome, but the committee thought that the extension of provisions to other industries, including care homes and the hospitality sector, should be considered.

I have provided a flavour of some of the key findings of the Equal Opportunities Committee’s report. Other members will focus on different aspects.

I move,

That the Parliament notes the conclusions and recommendations contained in the Equal Opportunities Committee’s 5th Report 2010 (Session 3): Inquiry into Migration and Trafficking (SP Paper 543).

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