Oral Answers to Questions

Sheryll Murray Excerpts

Monday 6th December 2010 Commons Chamber

[Mr Robert Buckland (South Swindon) (Con)]

6. What steps she plans to take to reduce annual immigration from states outside the EU to the tens of thousands.

[Sheryll Murray (South East Cornwall) (Con)]

11. What steps she plans to take to reduce annual immigration from states outside the EU to the tens of thousands.

[Karen Bradley (Staffordshire Moorlands) (Con)]

15. What steps she plans to take to reduce annual immigration from states outside the EU to the tens of thousands.

--- Later in debate ---

[Sheryll Murray]

How many migrant workers are from within the EU and how many are from elsewhere?

[Damian Green]

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for asking that question, because it enables me to puncture one of the great urban myths in the immigration debate, which is that most immigration comes from within the European Union. The net migration figures—which we will get down to the tens of thousands by the end of this Parliament—show that the vast bulk of immigrants come from outside the European Union. She asked about the numbers. In 2009, 292,000 non-European economic area migrants entered the UK and only 109,000 left. The House will see that the vast majority of net immigration comes from outside the European Union. Such immigration is precisely what we will take action on.