Committee visits Romania
16 May 2013
The Home Affairs Committee visits Bucharest between 20 and 22 May for its inquiry into transitional restrictions on the free movement of workers from Bulgaria and Romania, which will be lifted on 1 January 2014.
On the visit, the Committee will explore the economic and social factors that will affect the number of immigrants and the demographics of those who will come to work in the UK. The Committee would also like to follow up on the legal, social and diplomatic avenues for influencing the number of people seeking to work in the UK.
Chair's comments
Committee Chairman Rt Hon Keith Vaz MP said:
“We know that restrictions on workers coming from Romania and Bulgaria will come to an end on 1 January 2014—what we do not know is how many people will come, what kind of work they will be looking for, and what that will mean for society and services here in the UK.
There has been a lot of bluster in the debate, but very few facts. The Home Affairs Committee has taken evidence on the numbers of workers likely to arrive and now we will travel to Romania to open a dialogue with the authorities there and to learn for ourselves whether or not the Romanian people will come rushing once the door is open.”