§ Mr. OatenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures he plans to take to prevent an increase in illegal working following the expansion of the European Union on 1 May. [160211]
§ Beverley HughesThe free movement of accession nationals will apply across the whole of the EU from May 1. The Government's policy is to welcome accession nationals coming here to work but not simply to claim benefits. This will prevent an increase in illegal working, ensuring that accession nationals who come here to work will do so legally, paying tax and national insurance rather than being forced into the sub-economy.
We have also taken steps to strengthen controls on illegal working. We announced on 23 February that we would introduce a registration scheme for workers from eight of the 10 countries joining the European Union on 1 May this year. We announced on 16 March measures to strengthen the law on the prevention of illegal working, section 8 of the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996.
The reform of section 8 will bring added clarity and security to the document checks employers must carry out on prospective employees to prevent the use of illegal labour, and the Immigration Service will continue to increase intelligence-led enforcement activity against illegal working. The workers registration scheme will allow these nationals access to our labour market in a monitored way, and will encourage those working here illegally to formalise their status and contribute to the 494W formal economy. Employers will be required to check that a person has registered within 30 days of starting their employment.