External Affairs Secretary comments on latest UK migration statistics

Responding to the latest UK migration statistics, published today by the Office for National Statistics, External Affairs Secretary Fiona Hyslop said:

“The evidence is clear that the UK Government’s position and policy on migration does not work for Scotland's needs, and that is why this afternoon the Scottish Parliament will debate the need for a tailor-made approach to migration policy in Scotland.

“We need this because the number of deaths is expected to outweigh the number of births for every year over the next 25 years. Scotland relies more heavily on inward migration for population growth than other parts of the UK, and therefore a UK-wide policy to reduce net migration is not in Scotland’s interests.

“The Scottish Government’s discussion paper on migration, published earlier this month, found that lower migration levels have the potential to cause up to £10 billion of damage to Scotland’s economy per year by 2040. The paper set out what a distinct Scottish approach to migration – tailored to our unique needs – could look like.

“There is a growing consensus that this is the right way forward for Scotland, and the Scottish Government is seeking to build on that, starting with today’s debate.”

Background

Over the past decade, Scotland has relied on migration for population growth more than any other constituent country of the UK, with 63% of Scotland's growth due to net international migration – compared to 53% for the UK as a whole. A further 25% of Scotland's growth was due to net migration from the rest of the UK (as shown in Figure 2.1 of the Scottish Government discussion paper on migration).