Speeches by Richards.

“I have declared that interest previously.”

“Very short. Looking over the history—”

“I completely agree with everything you said, but I just mean in terms of their role in preventative measures, as part of the Government’s ambition.”

“You recommended a national inquiry. You have said in media interviews that you changed your mind on that. Was there a specific part of the evidence base that made you come to the conclusion that this was a necessity?”

“I am one of three Rotherham MPs. You met with victims and survivors across the country, so perhaps you will not comment on Rotherham specifically today, but I wondered whether you or your team could meet with me and other Rotherham MPs to discuss any current and live issues about Rotherham that might be helpful for us …”

“And some of them have criminal convictions as well.”

“I guess so; I understand. The 17 pages that the Home Secretary referred to yesterday in her statement, which set out the background of the work that has been done and the chronology, are a must read. But what I guess I am asking about is that the audit presumably did not just read that and then look to see whether the …”

“I do not pretend it is easy.”

“I want to ask about unaccompanied children in the context of providers. I asked a question in Home Office questions quite recently about this, and we had evidence from the Refugee Council and others that they thought this was a bigger problem than perhaps has been recognised—that children are ending up in unsuitable ac…”

“I do not for a minute suggest it is not fiendishly difficult on both sides of this coin. I am not suggesting this is very easy. My worry is that if a child has a Merton assessment at the border and they are deemed to be an adult, they are placed in an adult setting. Then, as you have said, the emphasis is on the child …”

“Those are significant amounts of money. I am not saying they are basic efficiencies—I am sure it has taken co-ordination and effort—but why was that not done before?”

“I guess that is the key point. Are you confident that all staff for the providers, both for your primary providers and the subcontractors, are trained and understand that that is their obligation and how to do that?”

“£500 million.”

“How does the Home Office organise the distribution of asylum accommodation around the country? The Minister mentioned MPs being in touch about their various constituencies. How is that done organisationally from the top down?”

“That is the interim stage. Do you feel you have the levers—it is a question for the Minister, but also for any of you—to make sure that the asylum estate can be more effectively distributed across the country?”

“Minister, you spoke about the work that the Department is doing with MHCLG and Treasury, which you described as a medium-term potential solution for this whole issue. How developed is that piece of work at the moment, and is there anything that is going to come out of the Government on that in the next few months, or i…”

“I have a question about what was being discussed before the vote, in terms of the efficiencies in the estate. Mr Ridley spoke about that being quite significant in the last 12 months. Is there a figure that the Home Office would put on how much is being saved purely through efficiencies of the current asylum estates?”

“That is why it is quite attractive compared to what was considered. Then on the discussion between medium sites and large sites, I was not able to go to Wethersfield, so I am not an expert in this, but has the Home Office done an analysis of international comparisons with other countries who have not dissimilar problem…”

“That has answered my next question, but cost is the No. 1 target to a certain extent—bringing down the costs of the asylum system and the asylum accommodation system. How much weight does the Home Office place on the need for this to be done fairly, even if that costs more money? Those decisions that will have to be ma…”

“Yesterday at Home Office questions, Sir Edward Leigh, the Father of the House, said there was now cross-party consensus across British politics on the need for a more universal digital ID system. Obviously, the Government are making huge strides on this agenda. We have the e-visa programme; we have digital driving lice…”