DFID asked to finance catering institute in Sylhet
Thursday, 9 October 2008
Leader of Parliamentary Delegation from UK's Home Affairs Committee Keith Vaz MP Wednesday said he would request the Department for International Development (DFID) to finance the proposed catering institute in Sylhet, reports UNB.
The institute, he said, will enable people to get qualified for curry industry in Britain under the new immigration policy called point-based system (PBS).
Addressing a press conference at the La Galleria, Vaz said Britain needs skilled people to contribute to its economy and the proposed institute would play a vital role in training and enhancing skill of the people who want to get jobs in catering industry in UK.
He admitted that there is shortage of chefs for the curry industry predominantly run by Bangladeshi chefs and cooks and they should be included as skilled workers in the new point-based immigration system.
According to a statistics, there are 12,000 curry restaurants across the United Kingdom and around 100,000 Bangladeshis working in those. But the new immigration policy has posed a threat on the curry industry that contributes around four billion pound sterling to the British exchequer annually.
The eight-member delegation that includes six MPs from Labour Party and Conservative Party visited Dhaka and Sylhet in last two days and talked to concerned people and stakeholders to get impact of the new immigration policy.
The delegation also met the Foreign Adviser and the Home Adviser Wednesday and discussed the bilateral issues between the countries.
Other members of the delegation are Karen Buck MP (Labour), Patrick Mercer MP (Conservative), Margaret Moran MP (Labour), Gwyn Prosser MP (Labour) and Martin Salter MP (Labour).
Vaz said they would go back to Westminster and discuss further the impression they have got from here and would place a report to the parliament.
They said Bangladeshis are doing well in a wide range of occupations and achieved success apart from catering industry and contributing to the British economy immensely and they felt proud of that.
More than 400,000 British Bangladeshi are now living in UK.
In reply to a question, Vaz said unskilled Bangladeshi workers now in UK would have to apply for their eligibility test to continue their stay in their jobs.
On general election slated for December 18, he hoped that the people would go to vote and make a government of their choice to have a new beginning in Bangladesh.
British Parliament may send observers to monitor the December polls, Vaz said, but he would not make any comment on fairness or credibility of the elections under the state of emergency.
The institute, he said, will enable people to get qualified for curry industry in Britain under the new immigration policy called point-based system (PBS).
Addressing a press conference at the La Galleria, Vaz said Britain needs skilled people to contribute to its economy and the proposed institute would play a vital role in training and enhancing skill of the people who want to get jobs in catering industry in UK.
He admitted that there is shortage of chefs for the curry industry predominantly run by Bangladeshi chefs and cooks and they should be included as skilled workers in the new point-based immigration system.
According to a statistics, there are 12,000 curry restaurants across the United Kingdom and around 100,000 Bangladeshis working in those. But the new immigration policy has posed a threat on the curry industry that contributes around four billion pound sterling to the British exchequer annually.
The eight-member delegation that includes six MPs from Labour Party and Conservative Party visited Dhaka and Sylhet in last two days and talked to concerned people and stakeholders to get impact of the new immigration policy.
The delegation also met the Foreign Adviser and the Home Adviser Wednesday and discussed the bilateral issues between the countries.
Other members of the delegation are Karen Buck MP (Labour), Patrick Mercer MP (Conservative), Margaret Moran MP (Labour), Gwyn Prosser MP (Labour) and Martin Salter MP (Labour).
Vaz said they would go back to Westminster and discuss further the impression they have got from here and would place a report to the parliament.
They said Bangladeshis are doing well in a wide range of occupations and achieved success apart from catering industry and contributing to the British economy immensely and they felt proud of that.
More than 400,000 British Bangladeshi are now living in UK.
In reply to a question, Vaz said unskilled Bangladeshi workers now in UK would have to apply for their eligibility test to continue their stay in their jobs.
On general election slated for December 18, he hoped that the people would go to vote and make a government of their choice to have a new beginning in Bangladesh.
British Parliament may send observers to monitor the December polls, Vaz said, but he would not make any comment on fairness or credibility of the elections under the state of emergency.