Julian Brazier: Only reducing immigration to much lower levels than emigration can halt a social crisis

Julian Brazier is MP for Canterbury.  His pamplet An Overcrowded Land was recently published by Conservative Way Forward.

Before the death of Margaret Thatcher – rightly – overtook the political landscape, the dominant domestic issue was the battle over benefits, especially Housing Benefit. Yet arguing whether or not the tax-payer should be subsidising spare bedrooms for tenants, in a time of austerity, is obscuring the real issue: we face by far the worst housing shortages since World War Two. These are reflected in continuing exceptionally high house prices, typically seven times income (against a multiple of three to four times in past generations). Furthermore, rents are so high that over half of local authorities in England have a median private rent for a two bedroom home that is higher than 35% of median take home pay.

The sad truth is that young people at all economic levels see little prospect of ever enjoying the standards of housing their parents do. This is a national tragedy and it stems largely from the open door immigration policy of the last Labour government. Under Labour, on paper, 2.2 million more people settled in this country than left it – but, in reality, with the end of embarkation controls, the figure was almost certainly much higher. In just five years, the Government Actuary’s Department has raised its population estimate for 2051 from 69 million to a staggering 79 million.

We are also facing a wide range of other social problems stemming from overpopulation: overcrowded hospitals, roads and trains, a shortage of school places and both water shortages and, conversely, flooding - since many recent houses were built on flood plains - as we continue to protect attractive uplands from development. England is Europe’s most overcrowded country and land is a zero-sum game; if incomers buy, or occupy, more land, existing citizens have less. Ironically, many of the solutions to overcrowding (new roads, railway lines, reservoirs, schools and airport runways) often compete with housing for precious land. They also place a crushing further burden on the public purse - and on the shoulders of families already crippled by housing costs.

Julian Brazier MP: Student immigration has its advantages — but it must be controlled

Julian Brazier is Conservative MP for Canterbury.

During the Parliamentary summer term, there was a campaign by Universities UK which called for the easing of visa terms for applicants to British universities and for students to be excluded from the government’s immigration targets. These proposals met with considerable support both from key figures in industry and a number of Conservative backbenchers. There were also some signals that ministers within the Business department were sympathetic. Since then, however, Home Office ministers have made their opposition clear and the Home Office has just revoked the licence of one university, London Metropolitan, to sponsor visas from overseas students.

Bringing young people from overseas into our university system certainly has its advantages. For instance, their fees — typically higher than those of domestic students — are a crucial source of revenue for universities and colleges, particularly when they are threatened with a drop in domestic applications thanks to the tuition fees hike. And there are benefits to the wider economy too, both from those overseas students who return to their home countries, perhaps to reach the top in their country’s political system or business, taking with them a positive view of the UK and a network of contacts here; and from the “brightest and the best” students who decide to remain over here.

Julian Brazier MP: Rolling back excessive health and safety legislation will ensure youngsters don't miss out on sporting and adventurous activities

Julian Brazier is Conservative MP for Canterbury and a shadow transport minister.

Last year, ConservativeHome carried an article of mine attacking a court decision which penalised a family for an accident at a children's party involving a bouncy castle. This week we have heard that Bear Grylls, the explorer and survivalist, has taken over as Chief Scout. How are these two matters related? 

Grylls' introductory speech says it all. He pointed out that some 30,000 youngsters would like to become Scouts but cannot join because of the shortage of instructors. The Girl Guides have an even longer waiting list. Why? Surveys in 2003 by the Central Council for Physical Recreation (CCPR) and 2006 by the Scouts both came to the same conclusion: the principal barrier to people volunteering in the sport and adventure training field is the blame culture and the threat of being sued.

As co-chairman of the All-party Group for Adventure and Recreation in Society (ARISc), I am supporting the Campaign for Adventure in its battle to roll back the compensation culture and excessive and unreasonable health and safety legislation. The problem stems not through any act of Parliament but through a series of bad decisions by the courts between the early 1990s and in the middle of the current decade. 

Let us look at one of a dozen examples which have come my way: a father accompanied his two sons on a Scout expedition to visit the popular show cave at Gaping Ghyll. The party decided to eat their picnic lunch before undertaking the guided tour and walked a short distance up a footpath to some open land. One of the Scouts noticed a cave opening across a stream and asked the Scout Leader for permission to explore it. The Leader refused permission, pointing out that caves could be dangerous. The Scout then moved away to his father and repeated the request. His father, who had heard the leader's ruling, gave permission, provided his son with a cigarette lighter for illumination and accompanied him into the cave. A short distance inside, the Scout slipped and fell 300 feet down a 'chimney' to his death.

Julian Brazier MP: Compensation culture Vs Happy childhoods

Julian Brazier is MP for Canterbury and Whitstable and a Shadow Transport Minister.

We hear a great deal about the problems of young people and the need to discourage youngsters from joining gangs. A fortnight ago a judge set us back several years.   

Since 2004 I have campaigned to reduce the harmful effects of the compensation culture on sport, adventure training and play opportunities. Children need structured risk, which allows them – among other things - to test their own physical and mental limits. Things like scouting and canoeing, rugby and football all help. Professor Heinz Wolfe, has called it ‘Vitamin R’. Indeed, Risk is such an essential ingredient of our development, he suggests that if children and young adults don’t get it in structured ways, then they will turn to unstructured means – namely crime and antisocial behaviour.

My campaign started with a Private Members’ Bill entitled ‘The Promotion of Volunteering Bill’. Its aim was to protect the organisers and providers of sport, adventure and play opportunities from frivolous litigation. The vast majority of these activities are provided by volunteers. Indeed, there was -and is- a waiting list of some 80,000 youngsters waiting to join the Scouts and Girl Guides, unable to do so because of a shortage of volunteer instructors. A number of disastrous judgements in the courts were seriously deterring volunteers. A 2003 survey by CCPR (Central Council for Physical Recreation) found that of all the reasons given by people for not volunteering, the threat of litigation and blame culture came top. A 2006 survey by the Scouts confirmed this.