Question
T5. While knocking on doors in Denton Burn in Newcastle on Saturday, a resident said to me that we see these terrible images of families putting children on to small boats and of floods, wars and droughts all around the world, but we never hear what Britain is doing to help people stay and flourish where they are. I thought, “Well, he’s right actually.” Could the Secretary of State tell us what is the most successful or effective thing that the Department is doing to reduce migratory pressures?
Answer
My hon. Friend, as always, speaks a great deal of sense, as do her constituents. She is right, and the role of our G20 summit and—the right hon. Member for Sutton Coldfield (Sir Andrew Mitchell) made this point earlier—the work we do on debt, development and climate with our partners across the world is not just right for our values but right for our security, because failed states and climate breakdown are a threat to our security as well as to our values.
Verdict: RED (20/100)
The question asked which measure is most effective at addressing the root causes of migration. The reply only gestures at development, debt and climate work with partner countries, linking it loosely to security. It does not name a single most effective measure, a specific programme, or any evidence of its impact, so the answer is largely general and hedged. The person who asked would likely need to submit a follow-up to get the specific answer they requested.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| What the Department considers to be the most successful or effective thing it is doing to reduce migratory pressures. | Partially Addressed | Hedged | The reply gestures at development, debt and climate work with partners as protecting security, which loosely relates to addressing migration root causes. It never identifies a single most successful or effective measure, nor does it name a specific programme or evidence of effectiveness, and the rest of the reply is platitudinal. |