Thursday, 16 July 2009

A selection of recent media reports

Failed asylum seekers health help
Failed asylum seekers in Wales who have been told they cannot stay in Britain can now have access to free NHS care. A change in regulations was confirmed by the assembly government in June, and came in to force on Wednesday.
BBC News (15-Jul-2009)

Balls spends £200m on new classrooms
Emergency funds made available to ease crisis in primary school admissions, but are too late for this September's...
U TV (15-Jul-2009)

MPs debate Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Bill
The Commons debated the report stage and third reading of the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Bill, which will amend the law on immigration, asylum and nationality.
The United Kingdom Parliament (15-Jul-2009)

IMMIGRATION? NOT A WORRY FOR HOME SECRETARY
HOME Secretary Alan Johnson blew apart the Governments border control policy last night by admitting that Britains population could soar above 70million.
Daily Express (15-Jul-2009)

Rise in foreign births 'to blame for primary school crisis'
A rise in the birthrate among foreign families is putting significant squeeze on primary school places, according to MPs. By Graeme Paton Published: 12:01AM BST 15 Jul 2009 Extra pressure on reception classes in September is a "direct result of mass immigration" into the United Kingdom, it was claimed.
Telegraph.co.uk (15-Jul-2009)

I won't put a cap on immigration vows the Home Secretary
Home Secretary Alan Johnson last night refused point blank to cap the number of immigrants coming to Britain. And he said he does not 'lie awake at night' worrying about the population hitting 70million.
Daily Mail (15-Jul-2009)

Griffin lets loose on first day in 'wasteful circus' of the EU
The newly-elected neo-Fascists came swaggering into the European Parliament yesterday, the institution they have vowed to abolish, on their first day as MEPs.
The Independent (15-Jul-2009)

GB-IRELAND PASSPORT PLAN IS SHELVED
The UK Government has climbed down over plans to force people to show their passports when travelling between Britain and Ireland.
Daily Express (14-Jul-2009)

Our exploding population is the gravest threat Britain faces today
For most of my professional life, I have derided the population alarmists. Those who spent the past few decades warning that there were far too many people in Britain and the wider world had always struck me as shrill, their arguments flawed at best and downright racist at worst.
The Mail On Sunday (14-Jul-2009)

Alan Johnson: 'I don't lose sleep over prospect of 70m population'
Alan Johnson, the Home Secretary, has said he does not "lie awake at night" worrying that the population is going to hit 70million. By Christopher Hope, Whitehall Editor Published: 8:36PM BST 14 Jul 2009 Critics have warned that current growth means the population will increase by nine million to hit the...
Telegraph.co.uk (14-Jul-2009)

Lesbian drug dealer's human rights 'will be violated' if deported home to Jamaica
A Jamaican drug dealer is claiming her human rights as a lesbian will be violated if she is made to go home at the end of her sentence. In an episode that has all the hallmarks of a steamy plot line for prison drama Bad Girls, the woman had a boyfriend before being imprisoned but has had a series of lesbian..
Daily Mail (14-Jul-2009)

Angry Czechs call for EU action as Canada imposes visas
(PRAGUE) - The Czech Republic on Tuesday urged its European Union partners to take joint action against Canada after it re-introduced visas for its nationals over a steady influx of Roma asylum applicants.
EUbusiness.com (14-Jul-2009)

Merseyside people trafficking task force to be formed
CITY leaders, police, health and immigration bosses are to create a people trafficking task force to beat the problem of organised crime bringing overseas nationals into the UK through Merseyside ports.
Liverpool Daily Post (14-Jul-2009)

Canada toughens its visa demands
Canada has imposed visa requirements on travellers from Mexico and the Czech Republic after a big jump in refugee claims from these two countries. Canadian Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said a significant number of such claims were rejected or abandoned, raising doubts about their legitimacy.
BBC News (14-Jul-2009)

Our border controls are firm but fair
Part of our job is to sift out those who want to break our rules or harm the public not 'poets with strange sounding...
Guardian.co.uk (14-Jul-2009)

Woman and son admit bogus marriages scam
A mother and son from Birmingham have admitted arranging a string of "sham" marriages. Patricia Williams, 60, and her son, Jason Williams, 38, of St John's Road, Dudley, pleaded guilty to breaching immigration laws when they appeared before Birmingham Crown Court.
The Scotsman (14-Jul-2009)

UK is 'soft touch' for illegal immigration
PEOPLE traffickers think the UK is a "soft touch" when it comes to getting illegal immigrants across the border, it was disclosed yesterday. Interviews with criminals convicted of trafficking offences found they regarded "illicit entry" into this country as "relatively easy".
The Scotsman (14-Jul-2009)

MIGRANTS RUIN UK SAY HALF OF BRITS
IMMIGRATION is wrecking the quality of life in the UK, half of all Brits reckon. And two-thirds want a limit imposed to stem the flow of new arrivals and stop a population explosion.
Daily Star (14-Jul-2009)

BRITAIN S SUCH A SOFT TOUCH SAY THE PEOPLE SMUGGLERS
CRIMINALS are convinced that Britain s border controls are soft and that police are tolerant of the vice trade, according to a Home Office report that was kept secret for three years.
Daily Express (14-Jul-2009)

Foreign gangs rob 'soft touch' Britain of £40billion a year
Organised gangs who see the UK as a soft touch are costing us £40billion a year, a hard-hitting report claimed yesterday. Up to 30,000 criminals are involved in drugs, guns, fraud and human-trafficking because our borders are 'relatively easy' to cross, it says.
Daily Mail (14-Jul-2009)