Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Lord Bates on 16 March (HL Deb, col 909), whether the statement that "For the calendar year of 2013, births in the UK to non-UK born mothers accounted for 25% of all live births. That is why we need to reduce immigration" was Government policy; if so, when it was announced; and by which Minister.

Her Majesty's Government recognises that immigrants make a valuable contribution to the UK which is why we welcome the brightest and the best people from around the world to visit, study, or settle here. However it must be recognised that uncontrolled immigration increases the pressure on public services and can drive down wages for people on low incomes. That is why the Coalition Agreement states that ‘to ensure cohesion and protect our public services, we need to introduce a cap on immigration and reduce the number of non EU immigrants’.