Press release

Press briefing: afternoon 14 October 2013

The Prime Minister’s Spokesperson (PMS) answered questions on immigration and the Jimmy Savile enquiry.

This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

Immigration

Asked if the government accepted the EU Commission’s claim that there was no evidence the UK benefits system was a pull factor for migrants, the PMS said there were important concerns around fairness of access to public services, such as healthcare and housing, which the government was addressing through the Immigration Bill. He said the Department of Health was investigating the impact of migrant access to the NHS, and the UK was also one of a number of EU countries looking at tightening the habitual residency test, which was why various member states had met in the UK earlier this year.

Jimmy Savile enquiry

Asked if the Prime Minister had a comment on the widening of the Jimmy Savile enquiry, the PMS said the PM echoed the words of the Health Secretary.

Updates to this page

Published 15 October 2013