Britannia Radio

This is yet another immigration scandal!   It's an open door,  our 
Asylum legislation.

And where has the infirmation come from?  Through the Freedom of 
Information Act  [FoI) or a leak.

But the natur of "leaking" is changing.  A whistleblower doesn't have 
to 'dish the dirt' - they can just tell a journalist that there's 
interesting stuff in 'such-and-such' a place. The FoI will do the 
rest or when that fails the journalist knows there's something being 
deliberately hidden and then if he's any good he DIGS!

xxxxxxxxx cs
=========================
TELEGRAPH   10.12.08
More than 180,000 asylum seekers set to stay because of human rights
At least 180,000 asylum seekers are set to be allowed to stay in 
Britain because of their human rights thanks to the Government's 
backlog fiasco.

By Tom Whitehead, Home Affairs Editor

More than 50,000 applicants in the so-called "legacy" files have so 
far been told they can remain - the equivalent of four in ten - and 
the proportion is increasing.

If the pattern continues at least 180,000 will be given the green 
light by the time officials clear the 450,000 files, some of which 
date back to the mid 1990s.

The list includes thousands of people from Turkey [eh? They are 
hoping to join the EU! -cs] and Pakistan and critics said the move 
was effectively an amnesty by stealth.

Separate figures showed seven foreign murderers, rapists or 
paedophiles involved in the foreign prisoner scandal have been 
allowed to remain.

Dozens of other serious overseas criminals such as armed robbers and 
sex offenders will also stay here.

One Tory MP accused the Government of misleading the public over it's 
pledge to remove those who pose a risk to society.

Shadow Home Secretary, Dominic Grieve, said: "Whilst the minister for 
immigration tries to talk tough, the reality is that the Government 
is prepared to grant what amounts to an effective amnesty just to get 
the figures down.
"Despite all the spin, it is clear that Labour are in no closer to 
getting a grip on illegal immigration."

The 450,000 files in the Case Resolution Programme were unearthed in 
2006 in the wake of the foreign prisoners scandal.

Among them are claimants who should have been deported years ago, 
while others have never been dealt with.

Ministers have promised to work through all the cases by 2011, while 
also having to deal with all fresh asylum claims and those failed 
cases still awaiting deportation.

In an update to MPs, Lin Homer, chief executive of the UK Border 
Agency, said 130,000 files have been examined so far and 51,000 have 
been allowed to stay - the equivalent of 40 per cent.

It included 3,750 people claiming asylum from Pakistan and 2,300 from 
Turkey

Councils have also been given more than £1.1 million to cope with the 
transition, as asylum seekers allowed to stay become the 
responsibility of local authorities.

The approval rate is also growing after a similar update in December 
last year found only 37 per cent of cases were being approved.

Normally, just 10 per cent of asylum claims are granted in the first 
instance, although more are approved on appeal.

Human rights laws will be to blame for most cases, either because it 
is unsafe to return the asylum seekers or because they have been here 
so long they now have families and are protected under the right to 
family life.
MPs were also updated on the foreign prisoner scandal, which saw more 
than 1,000 inmates wrongly released without first being considered 
for deportation - an issue that cost Charles Clarke his job as Home 
Secretary.
It emerged that seven offenders in the "most serious" category, 
including murder, manslaughter, rape and child sex offences, have 
been told they can stay.

Another 36 in the "more serious" category, including other sex 
offences, violence and kidnap, can also stay.

Tory MP and member of the Home Affairs Select Committee, James 
Clappison said: "The fact that so many offenders, including those in 
the most serious category, are still in the UK despite the 
Government's promises on deportation shows that Labour cannot be 
trusted on this subject.   "It has effectively misled the public.

A UK Border Agency spokesman said: "We have improved our performance 
and are now resolving several thousand old asylum cases every month. 
This means we are well on track to complete all 450,000 cases by 2011.
"We will continue to prioritise those who may pose a risk to the 
public, and then focus on those who can more easily be removed, those 
receiving support, and those who may be granted leave.

"We will no longer pay to support to those who have had their cases 
concluded. Those who are granted the right to stay should seek work 
and those who have been refused will be removed."