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| Cabinet rift over housing for EU migrants | Cabinet rift over housing for EU migrants |
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| A cabinet row erupted into the open on Sunday when the communities secretary, Eric Pickles, warned of housing problems when migrants from the EU's two newest member states are given full access to Britain from next year. | A cabinet row erupted into the open on Sunday when the communities secretary, Eric Pickles, warned of housing problems when migrants from the EU's two newest member states are given full access to Britain from next year. |
| Home Office sources distanced themselves from the remarks by Pickles on the grounds that he was talking about projections for housing needs for migrants from Romania and Bulgaria from within his own department. But sources in Pickles's department said he was referring to immigration statistics provided by the Home Office which he has repeatedly questioned. | Home Office sources distanced themselves from the remarks by Pickles on the grounds that he was talking about projections for housing needs for migrants from Romania and Bulgaria from within his own department. But sources in Pickles's department said he was referring to immigration statistics provided by the Home Office which he has repeatedly questioned. |
| The row between the two Whitehall departmentsbroke out after Pickles was asked by Andrew Neil on the BBC1 Sunday Politics programme about the lifting of restrictions on Bulgarians and Romanians from January 2014. A series of "transitional controls", which have limited the right of citizens from the EU's two newest member states, will be lifted next year on the seventh anniversary of their accession to the EU. | The row between the two Whitehall departmentsbroke out after Pickles was asked by Andrew Neil on the BBC1 Sunday Politics programme about the lifting of restrictions on Bulgarians and Romanians from January 2014. A series of "transitional controls", which have limited the right of citizens from the EU's two newest member states, will be lifted next year on the seventh anniversary of their accession to the EU. |
| The Migration Advisory Committee said in November 2011 that 82,000 Romanians and 52,000 Bulgarians were due to be resident in Britain by July of that year. This figure is expected to increase dramatically next year when citizens from the two countries are free to enter and work in the UK with no restrictions. | The Migration Advisory Committee said in November 2011 that 82,000 Romanians and 52,000 Bulgarians were due to be resident in Britain by July of that year. This figure is expected to increase dramatically next year when citizens from the two countries are free to enter and work in the UK with no restrictions. |
| Pickles initially said that nobody "entirely knows the number" of Romanians and Bulgarians who will arrive and that he has "had no discussions with the Home Office with regard to the numbers". But he then added that he was "actively engaged in" assessing the housing needs of Romanians and Bulgarians in east London, though he said it would not be helpful to release numbers. | Pickles initially said that nobody "entirely knows the number" of Romanians and Bulgarians who will arrive and that he has "had no discussions with the Home Office with regard to the numbers". But he then added that he was "actively engaged in" assessing the housing needs of Romanians and Bulgarians in east London, though he said it would not be helpful to release numbers. |
| "I need to be sure about the figures before I make a public pronouncement," Pickles said. "I've been given a figure, I'm not confident on the figure and until I'm confident on the figure I'm not going to quote a figure." | "I need to be sure about the figures before I make a public pronouncement," Pickles said. "I've been given a figure, I'm not confident on the figure and until I'm confident on the figure I'm not going to quote a figure." |
| He added: "Given that we've got a housing shortage, any influx from Romania and Bulgaria is going to cause problems and it's going to cause problems not just in terms of the housing market, but also on social housing markets. But one of the reasons why I'm not prepared to start a scare story going is that I think we need to be reasonably confident about the figures." | He added: "Given that we've got a housing shortage, any influx from Romania and Bulgaria is going to cause problems and it's going to cause problems not just in terms of the housing market, but also on social housing markets. But one of the reasons why I'm not prepared to start a scare story going is that I think we need to be reasonably confident about the figures." |
| Pickles is not at odds with Theresa May, the home secretary, over the likely social challenges when Romanians and Bulgarians are given full access to Britain from next year. May has spoken of the need to reform the EU to ensure that one of the founding principles of the EU – the free movement of labour – does not simply mean the free movement of people to claim benefits. But Pickles and May disagree over the forecasts for the number of migrants from the two countries. One source in the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) said: "The secretary of state wants to make sure that everything is ticked off. He is waiting for them to come back. These immigration figures come under the Home Office remit." | Pickles is not at odds with Theresa May, the home secretary, over the likely social challenges when Romanians and Bulgarians are given full access to Britain from next year. May has spoken of the need to reform the EU to ensure that one of the founding principles of the EU – the free movement of labour – does not simply mean the free movement of people to claim benefits. But Pickles and May disagree over the forecasts for the number of migrants from the two countries. One source in the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) said: "The secretary of state wants to make sure that everything is ticked off. He is waiting for them to come back. These immigration figures come under the Home Office remit." |
| But a Home Office source said: "This has not come from the Home Office. Eric Pickles is referring to CLG and boroughs' work into housing need." | But a Home Office source said: "This has not come from the Home Office. Eric Pickles is referring to CLG and boroughs' work into housing need." |
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