PM says areas of housing, health and benefits are under review to make sure that the UK is not a "soft touch" for migrants and foreign nationals
As reported by the media, Prime Minister David Cameron said yesterday in an answer at Prime Minister's Questions that the government is looking at the areas of housing, health and benefits to make sure that the UK is not a "soft touch" for migrants and foreign nationals.
Cameron added that "access to justice" is one of the things that should be the right of all British citizens, but "not the right of anyone who just chooses to come here".
You can read the full question and answer below (reproduced from Commons Hansard):
Q2. [142824] Mr Mark Spencer (Sherwood) (Con): The welfare state and the NHS are there to support our constituents when they fall on difficult times. Will the Prime Minister assure the House that the Government will not allow them to be abused by illegal immigrants and foreign nationals who come here as benefit tourists?
The Prime Minister: My hon. Friend makes a very important point. Britain has always been an open and welcoming economy, but it is not right if our systems are being abused. That is why yesterday I chaired a committee meeting in Whitehall, which my hon. Friend the Minister for Immigration is leading, where we are
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going to look at every single one of our systems—housing, health, benefits—and make sure that we are not a soft touch for those who want to come here. It is vital that we get this right. Many parts of our current arrangements simply do not pass a simple common-sense test in terms of access to housing, access to the health service and access to justice, and other things that should be the right of all British citizens but are not the right of anyone who just chooses to come here.