Oral Answers to Questions

John Lamont Excerpts

Monday 26th October 2026 Commons Chamber

[Jo White]

Net migration remains high compared with pre-2020 levels, and GDP continues to grow. Over-relying on international recruitment while failing to train and upskill our domestic workforce is not a sustainable economic strategy.

[John Lamont (Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk) (Con)]

Mears, acting for the Home Office, is acquiring properties to accommodate asylum seekers in small, rural communities in the Scottish Borders, where GP surgeries, schools and transport are already stretched. Scottish Borders council tells me that it is not being properly consulted by either the Home Office or Mears before these properties are acquired. Will the Minister meet me, together with representatives from Scottish Borders council, so that we can discuss how engagement can be improved?

[The Minister for Border Security and Asylum (Anna Turley)]

I would be happy to meet the hon. Gentleman and his colleagues. Home Office officials continue to engage with Scottish Borders council and other local partners on asylum accommodation. We value and recognise the importance of working with those local authorities, taking account of local circumstances when considering accommodation requirements.