Scotland's future migration needs discussed
14 November 2017
The Scottish Affairs Committee hears from three leading academics as it begins to examine how well the UK's immigration system meets Scotland's needs.
- Watch Parliament TV: Immigration and Scotland
- Inquiry: Immigration and Scotland
- Scottish Affairs Committee
Witnesses
Tuesday 14 November, Committee Room 15, Palace of Westminster
At 9.45am
- Dr Eve Hepburn, Director, PolicyScribe
- Professor Christina Boswell, Professor of Politics, University of Edinburgh, and Fellow, Royal Society of Edinburgh
- Professor Rebecca Kay, Principal Investigator for 'Social Support and Migration in Scotland' project, University of Glasgow
Purpose of the session
Topics to be discussed include recent trends in migration to Scotland, whether the current arrangements for EU and non-EU citizens meet Scotland's needs, and what future immigration rules for EU citizens might apply post-Brexit.
This session will inform subsequent sessions, where the Committee will hear from business and sectoral organisations about their labour requirements, and the relationship between immigration and the Scottish economy.
Chair's comments
Committee Chair Pete Wishart MP said:
"Immigration was a significant theme in several inquiries conducted by the Scottish Affairs Committee during the last Parliament, particularly our examination of Scottish demography and the implications for devolution.
It is welcome that the population decline of the 20th century has been arrested, and Scotland has witnessed steady population growth in recent decades.
However, we also heard from businesses, universities and healthcare about how they were crying out for the need for skilled labour, and the importance of immigrant workers to fill employment gaps.
This session will seek to establish what Scotland's future migration needs are, and how these can be met."
Further information
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