Meeting of the Parliament 19 December 2018
It is a great privilege to begin this important debate and, in doing so, to recognise and emphasise, on behalf of the Scottish Government and many others, the huge contribution that European Union citizens have made to Scotland and continue to make today.
As it comes on the day after international migrants day, and just hours after the United Kingdom Government has finally published its highly concerning and wrong-headed immigration white paper, today’s debate is an opportunity for us, as a Parliament, to reaffirm our support for our friends, neighbours, colleagues and loved ones who have chosen to make Scotland their home, and for us to focus on their wellbeing and recognise the huge contribution that they make to modern Scotland.
I hope that every member will want to say something to people who have come to study at and enhance our world-class colleges and universities, or who have worked hard in businesses and public services right across the country, supporting their families and their communities, or who have been brought up here—or even been born here—and who speak with a Scottish accent but have a passport from another European country. Let us say to them, for it cannot be said often enough: Scotland is your home; you are welcome here; we want you to stay; together, we are stronger in diversity.
European migration has been good for Scots, and for Scotland. The Parliament knows the challenges that Scotland faces from long-term demographic trends, with an ageing population and not enough working-age people coming through to replace those leaving the labour market, despite more people coming to Scotland from the rest of the UK in recent years. EU migration has helped to sustain the working-age population and has boosted our economic growth. That is why today’s debate is important. It is also why the UK Government’s white paper that was published this afternoon is so concerning and wrong-headed and is deeply worrying for businesses and many others.
Even the UK Government’s key advisers on migration are clear that the positive impact of EU citizens has been immense. The UK Government’s Migration Advisory Committee states that there is
“no evidence that EEA migration has reduced employment opportunities”
for UK citizens,
“no evidence that EEA migration has reduced wages for UK-born workers”
and
“no evidence that migration has reduced the training opportunities”
that are available to British people. It is important that we tackle and address any misunderstanding on those points.
On the other hand, the key advisers to the UK Government emphasise that
“EEA migrants ... pay more in taxes than they receive in welfare benefits and consume in public services”
and
“EEA migrants contribute much more to the health service and the provision of social care in financial resources and through work than they consume in services.”
The positive impact of migration is clear—in evidence and in principle—according to even the UK Government’s Migration Advisory Committee.