Scottish Visa Scheme

Pete Wishart, the Scottish National Party (SNP) MP for Perth and Kinross-shire, asked the Minister what discussions she has had with the Scottish Government on the potential merits of devolving the power to introduce a Scottish visa scheme. In response, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department, Seema Malhotra, stated that the government is not introducing a Scottish visa scheme or devolving control of immigration policy, as this has been made clear to the Scottish Government. Instead, the government is addressing the underlying causes of skills shortages and overseas recruitment in different parts of the UK. Wishart thanked the Minister for her "tiresome and repetitive response," and argued that Scotland has a range of demographic and population difficulties that need to be urgently addressed. He noted that every sector, from social care to hospitality, including business leaders, is calling for drastic action. Wishart also mentioned that Labour's two-child benefit cap is now having an impact on Scotland's birth rate. He questioned why the Minister is rejecting the idea of a Scottish visa scheme out of hand, and asked her to work with the Scottish Government to see if it might actually work. Malhotra reiterated that net migration must come down, and that immigration is a reserved matter, working in the interests of the whole UK. She stated that previous schemes along the lines suggested have succeeded only in restricting movement and rights and creating internal UK borders, and that adding different rules for different locations would increase complexity and create frictions when workers move locations. Chris Murray, the Labour MP for Edinburgh East and Musselburgh, intervened to note that some areas of Scotland are seeing depopulation, while others, such as East Lothian, are experiencing unprecedented population growth. He asked the Minister to commit to working constructively with the Scottish Government on their "woeful population strategy," which has failed to address Scotland's demographic challenges in 17 years. Malhotra responded that the government is committed to working with the Scottish Government on this and all issues, and that many of the levers to address depopulation in Scotland are in powers that the Scottish Government already have at their disposal. She stated that the reasons for local workers leaving particular areas must be addressed through investment in jobs, infrastructure, and public services, and that these are issues that the government and the Scottish Government must tackle together.