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Nepalese debate


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Nepalese debate

Public services are in danger of being "overwhelmed" by a recent influx of Nepalese immigrants, according to the area’s MP.

Gerald Howarth, who represents Aldershot and Farnborough in Parliament, has made an extraordinary plea to the prime minister to deal with an issue he said was of "grave concern" in the area.

In a letter sent to David Cameron, Mr Howarth said the problem related to the inward migration of Nepalese people as a result of the 2009 High Court ruling that gave all Gurkhas the right to settle in the UK with their dependants.

“This has had a very significant impact over a very short period of time and it is now estimated that 10% of the borough of Rushmoor’s population of approximately 90,000 is Nepalese,” said Mr Howarth in the letter.

Chhatra Rai, general secretary of the British Gurkha Welfare Society, whose headquarters are in Farnborough, said that while there were problems, Mr Howarth’s intervention was "unhelpful" and could set back efforts to help new arrivals settle.

Timeline

1997: Gerald Howarth elected as Tory MP for Aldershot, Farnborough and Yateley.

1997: UK hands Hong Kong back to China and closes the Gurkha base there.

2000: Ministry of Defence closes Queen Elizabeth Barracks, in Church Crookham, where thousands of Gurkhas were stationed over 30 years. Units transferred to Folkestone, Kent.

2004: Government agrees to allow Gurkhas who retired after 1997 to settle in Britain with their families. Many choose to return to Aldershot area, where they had served in the army. Pensions remain around one-sixth the level paid to UK-born soldiers.

2008: More than one quarter of children born in Rushmoor to non-UK born mothers for the first time – more than double the 2001 rate.

2008: Gurkhas win High Court ruling, forcing government to review immigration rules for soldiers who retired before 1997.

2009: Government settlement rules are overturned by a Labour rebellion in the House of Commons, backed by Conservative and Liberal Democrat MPs, after a Joanna Lumley-led campaign. Home Office changes policy to allow any former Gurkha with at least four years’ service to settle in UK.

2009: First of new immigrants arrive in Surrey-Hampshire border area, joining the already large Nepalese community here.

2010: Gurkha welfare group loses High Court battle to force government to pay equal pensions to retired Gurkhas.

2011: Mr Howarth writes to the Prime Minister to urge action against the ‘massive and rapid change’ caused by Nepalese immigration. David Cameron condemns the people of Aldershot for showing 'discrimination and prejudice' towards the Nepalese community.