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1436559

registered interest
date	28/02/2022
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Agriculture: Seasonal Workers
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of implementing a visa scheme for seasonal workers to support the agricultural industry.
tabling member constituency	Gravesham
tabling member printed	Adam Holloway
uin	131125
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/03/2022 answer text <p>The Home Office already operates such an immigration route.</p><p>The Seasonal worker visa was introduced in March 2019. There are 30,000 visas available this year, but this will begin to taper down from 2023. The total allocation of places for 2022 can increase if needed but by no more than 10,000 places.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 31/03/2022 15:29:01 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster previous answer version 56216 answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
tabling member	1522 label Biography information for Adam Holloway

1435519

registered interest
date	25/02/2022
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Agriculture: Seasonal Workers
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what percentage of seasonal agricultural workers come from Ukraine; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport
tabling member printed	Luke Pollard
uin	129881
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/03/2022 answer text <p>The Home Office managed migration datasets indicate that in 2021, visas issued to Ukrainian nationals accounted for 67% (19,920) of all visas issued under the seasonal worker route, including those issued under the temporary visa schemes for poultry, food sector HGVs, and pork butchers.</p><p> </p><p>Defra is engaging with the operators of the seasonal worker visa route to prepare and advance contingency plans in response to the situation in Ukraine. Operators can recruit from any country they choose for the seasonal workers visa route and operators recruited seasonal workers from almost 50 countries in 2021.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 03/03/2022 16:04:13 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	4682 label Biography information for Luke Pollard

1402732

registered interest
date	13/01/2022
answering body	Scotland Office
answering dept id	2
answering dept short name	Scotland
answering dept sort name	Scotland
hansard heading	Agriculture: Seasonal Workers
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what assessment he has made of the impact of the proposed reductions in the number of Seasonal Agricultural Worker visa routes from 2023 on the fruit and vegetable industry in Scotland.
tabling member constituency	Glenrothes
tabling member printed	Peter Grant
uin	103580
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/01/2022 answer text <p>The UK Government is extending this visa route until the end of 2024, to allow migrant workers to come to the UK for up to six months to pick both edible and ornamental crops. There will be 30,000 visas available until 2023 when it will begin to taper down, but this will be kept under review with the potential to increase by a further 10,000 if necessary.</p><p> </p><p>We appreciate that growers in Scotland are reliant on workers from overseas, nevertheless the UK Government is committed to the UK becoming a high-skilled, high-wage economy and we are clear that more must be done to attract UK workers into jobs through offering training, career options, wage increases, and to invest in increased automation technology. The extension to the route strikes the right balance of supporting the horticulture sector while it transitions to employing more domestic workers.</p> answering member constituency Dumfries and Galloway answering member printed Mr Alister Jack question first answered 18/01/2022 15:25:53 answering member 4619 label Biography information for Mr Alister Jack
tabling member	4466 label Biography information for Peter Grant

1402735

registered interest
date	13/01/2022
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Agriculture: Seasonal Workers
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the impact of the proposed reductions to the number of Seasonal Agricultural Worker visa routes from 2023 on the agricultural industry in (a) Scotland (b) the rest of the UK.
tabling member constituency	Glenrothes
tabling member printed	Peter Grant
uin	103581
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/01/2022 answer text <p>Defra works closely with a wide range of industry stakeholders – including the National Farmers Union of Scotland and the National Farmers Union of England and Wales – to discuss current immigration policy and the needs of the farming sector.</p><p> </p><p>Under the Seasonal Workers Visa Route agreed with the Home Office for the period 2022-2024 there will be 30,000 visas available in 2022, but this will be kept under review with the potential to increase by 10,000 if necessary.</p><p> </p><p>Immigration is a reserved matter and Seasonal Worker visas under this route for the horticulture sector will be available nationwide.</p><p> </p><p>While acknowledging the sector’s reliance on foreign workers, the UK is committed to becoming a high-skilled, high-wage economy and the Government has been clear that more must be done to attract UK workers through offering training, career options, wage increases and to invest in increased automation technology.</p><p> </p><p>Therefore, the Home Office announced that the number of visas will begin to taper down from 2023 to account for this focus on British workers and automation, and Defra will bring forward further proposals in due course on ways to support the sector as well as progressing recommendations from the Automation Review.</p><p> </p><p>Defra is also working with industry and the Department for Work and Pensions to raise awareness of career opportunities in the food and farming sectors among UK workers.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis grouped question UIN 103582 question first answered 18/01/2022 17:22:23 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	4466 label Biography information for Peter Grant

1402736

registered interest
date	13/01/2022
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Agriculture: Seasonal Workers
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with representatives of (a) The National Farmers Union of Scotland and (b) The National Farmers Union of England and Wales on proposed changes to the number of Seasonal Agricultural Worker visa routes from 2023.
tabling member constituency	Glenrothes
tabling member printed	Peter Grant
uin	103582
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/01/2022 answer text <p>Defra works closely with a wide range of industry stakeholders – including the National Farmers Union of Scotland and the National Farmers Union of England and Wales – to discuss current immigration policy and the needs of the farming sector.</p><p> </p><p>Under the Seasonal Workers Visa Route agreed with the Home Office for the period 2022-2024 there will be 30,000 visas available in 2022, but this will be kept under review with the potential to increase by 10,000 if necessary.</p><p> </p><p>Immigration is a reserved matter and Seasonal Worker visas under this route for the horticulture sector will be available nationwide.</p><p> </p><p>While acknowledging the sector’s reliance on foreign workers, the UK is committed to becoming a high-skilled, high-wage economy and the Government has been clear that more must be done to attract UK workers through offering training, career options, wage increases and to invest in increased automation technology.</p><p> </p><p>Therefore, the Home Office announced that the number of visas will begin to taper down from 2023 to account for this focus on British workers and automation, and Defra will bring forward further proposals in due course on ways to support the sector as well as progressing recommendations from the Automation Review.</p><p> </p><p>Defra is also working with industry and the Department for Work and Pensions to raise awareness of career opportunities in the food and farming sectors among UK workers.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis grouped question UIN 103581 question first answered 18/01/2022 17:22:24 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	4466 label Biography information for Peter Grant

1388395

registered interest
date	15/12/2021
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Agriculture: Seasonal Workers
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what further steps they are taking to avoid crops having to be ploughed in due to a lack of seasonal farm workers.
tabling member printed	The Earl of Caithness
uin	HL5002
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/12/2021 answer text <p>The Government recognises the importance of labour to bringing home the harvest.</p><p>Defra continues to work closely with industry and other Government departments to understand labour supply and demand, and to ensure there is a long-term strategy for the food and farming workforce beyond 2021.</p><p>The expanded Seasonal Workers Pilot has provided a solution to the unskilled labour needs of the edible horticulture sector through 2021, supporting farmers growing UK fruit and vegetables. This sector of agriculture has the highest dependency on seasonal labour.</p><p>The Government has announced that the seasonal worker visa route will be extended to 2024 to allow overseas workers to come to the UK for up to six months to harvest both edible and ornamental crops. 30,000 visas will be available. This will be kept under review with the potential to increase by 10,000 visas if necessary.</p><p>In addition, food and farming businesses can continue to rely on EU nationals living in the UK with settled or pre-settled status. Over 5.5 million EU citizens and their families have been granted status under the EU Settlement Scheme.</p><p>The Government encourages all sectors to make employment more attractive to UK domestic workers through offering training, careers options, wage increases and to invest in automation technology. To support these efforts, Defra is working with industry and the Department for Work and Pensions to raise awareness of career opportunities in the food and farming sectors among UK workers.</p><p>Defra is also leading a Government review of automation in horticulture to improve our understanding of what is required to accelerate the development and uptake of automation technologies in both the edible and ornamental sectors, in England, with the view to reducing the sector’s long-term dependency on seasonal migrant labour. The review’s final report will be published shortly and will inform a range of policy decisions regarding automation and seasonal labour from 2022 onwards.</p> answering member printed Lord Benyon question first answered 30/12/2021 11:19:22 answering member 1547 label Biography information for Lord Benyon
tabling member	3310 label Biography information for The Earl of Caithness

1384700

registered interest
date	03/12/2021
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Agriculture: Seasonal Workers
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government when they plan to announce a new seasonal agricultural workers scheme for 2022; and what plans they have to include the ornamental horticulture production industry in that scheme.
tabling member printed	Baroness Masham of Ilton
uin	HL4692
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/12/2021 answer text <p>Defra is working closely with the​ Home Office to ensure there is a long-term strategy for the food and farming workforce beyond 2021.</p><p>The Government has announced that the seasonal worker visa route will be extended to 2024 to allow overseas workers to come to the UK for up to six months to harvest both edible and ornamental crops. 30,000 visas will be available. This will be kept under review with the potential to increase by 10,000 visas if necessary.</p> answering member printed Lord Benyon question first answered 30/12/2021 13:08:25 answering member 1547 label Biography information for Lord Benyon
tabling member	1850 label Biography information for Baroness Masham of Ilton

1356837

registered interest
date	20/09/2021
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Agriculture: Seasonal Workers
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of seasonal workers from abroad on UK food security; for what reason the pilot Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme (SAWS), currently underway, caters for only one-third of the number of such workers permitted prior to the UK's withdrawal from the EU; what recent discussions he has held with the Home Secretary on restoring the previous total permitted to enter the UK; what steps he will take to reduce the paperwork involved in processing applicants to become seasonal workers; and when a permanent SAWS will be established.
tabling member constituency	New Forest East
tabling member printed	Dr Julian Lewis
uin	51569
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/09/2021 answer text <p>The UK's food supply is highly resilient and the food industry is well versed in dealing with scenarios that can impact food supply. However, Defra is aware of the impact that labour shortages are having on the supply chains and we continue to work with stakeholders like the NFU to monitor the situation.</p><p>Defra is working closely with industry and the Home Office - which engages with a wide range of stakeholders, including non-governmental organisations, when designing and implementing immigration policy - to understand better the effectiveness of interventions and to ensure there is a long-term strategy for the food and farming workforce beyond 2021.</p><p>Horticulture, in particular, relies heavily on seasonal labour, and whilst the number of workers needed varies throughout the year, Defra estimates approximately 50,000 seasonal workers are needed annually to bring in the harvest. For 2021 we envisaged that growers will recruit more from an increasing pool of domestic labour, supported with 30,000 workers from the Seasonal Workers Pilot extension.</p><p>Although the numbers of workers have increased based on the success of the Pilot so far, it is not designed to meet the full labour needs of the horticulture sector. The extension and expansion of the Pilot for 2021 will allow for further review of the Pilot, including how growers will reduce their reliance on migrant labour now we have left the EU <em>, </em>whilst also easing some of the pressure felt on farms when they are at their busiest.</p><p>The Government encourages all sectors to make employment more attractive to UK domestic workers through offering training, careers options, wage increases and to invest in increased automation technology. To support these efforts, Defra is working with the Department for Work and Pensions to raise awareness of career opportunities within the horticulture sector among UK workers.</p><p>The Home Office is responsible for the visa licensing system that processes applicants to become seasonal workers, including the paperwork involved with that process.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 23/09/2021 12:22:04 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	54 label Biography information for Sir Julian Lewis

1352545

registered interest
date	03/09/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Agriculture: Seasonal Workers
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the potential merits of the pilot scheme for 30,000 seasonal agricultural workers in 2021.
tabling member constituency	West Worcestershire
tabling member printed	Harriett Baldwin
uin	41868
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/09/2021 answer text <p>The pilot scheme is subject to ongoing evaluation activity and we will make an assessment of it prior to a decision whether to extend its provisions into future years.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 13/09/2021 15:48:02 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
tabling member	4107 label Biography information for Dame Harriett Baldwin

1352613

registered interest
date	03/09/2021
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Agriculture: Seasonal Workers
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the effectiveness of the Seasonal Agricultural Workers pilot scheme; and when he plans to publish evaluation information on the (a) first-year pilot and (b) extended pilot.
tabling member constituency	West Worcestershire
tabling member printed	Harriett Baldwin
uin	41870
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/09/2021 answer text <p>On 22 December 2020, the Government extended the Seasonal Workers Pilot for one year and expanded the number of visas from 10,000 to 30,000.</p><p>The extension and expansion of the Pilot for 2021 will allow for further review of the Pilot, including how growers will reduce their reliance on migrant labour now we have left the EU, whilst also easing some of the pressure experienced on farms when they are at their busiest. We intend to publish the first-year review later this year.</p><p>Defra is working closely with industry and the Home Office – who engage with a wide range of stakeholders, including non-governmental organisations, when designing and implementing immigration policy – to understand better the effectiveness of interventions and to ensure there is a long-term strategy for the food and farming workforce beyond 2021.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 13/09/2021 14:42:53 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	4107 label Biography information for Dame Harriett Baldwin