Immigration and Nationality (Fees) (Amendment No. 3) Regulations 2008

The Minister began his remarks by repeating some of the comments that he made in answering the Oral Question asked this afternoon by my noble friend Lord Greaves. I repeat what I said then: I hope that the Government will not claim that the credit for the fall in immigration, particularly of those coming here to seek work, belongs to the points-based system when we are already seeing a huge fall in the number of employment vacancies and a rise in unemployment, which we can be absolutely certain will get progressively worse over the next 12 months. Regardless of whether there was a points-based system, there would not be as many people coming here to work, or, indeed, in any other category of immigration. I fervently hope that the Government will not try to claim that the credit for limiting immigration belongs to the points-based system when that has nothing to do with it; falling immigration is a product of the world economic downturn.