Asked by: Lord Pendry (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the tourism and hospitality industries regarding the implications of the UK's withdrawal from the EU for employment levels of overseas workers in those industries.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government continues to engage broadly across the economy, to hear businesses' views as we leave the EU, including those representing the tourism and hospitality industries. The Secretaries of State for DExEU and BEIS and the Chancellor of the Exchequer co-chair a EU Exit Business Advisory Group to ensure business is not only heard but is influential throughout the negotiations. The meeting is attended by senior officials from the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), Institute of Directors (IoD), Manufacturers’ Association (EEF), British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) and Federation of Small Businesses (FSB). DExEU Minister Robin Walker has also twice attended the Tourism Industry Council and the former Immigration Minister Brandon Lewis MP held a roundtable with the hospitality sector.
The Government has also asked the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to gather evidence on patterns of EU migration and the role of migration in the wider economy, ahead of our exit from the EU. In their interim report published in March, the MAC reported that they had received 417 responses from a wide range of sectors and businesses - a record for a MAC commission. The MAC is due to publish their final report in September and the Government will take account of their findings when designing our future immigration system.