This morning’s Western Mail reports on complaints from Liberal Democrat MPs that the UK Border Agency (UKBA) is treating Assembly Members as “second class” politicians last night for refusing to take representations from Cardiff Bay.
The UKBA, which enforces immigration and customs regulations, will only deal directly with MPs and Members of the Scottish Parliament. This is despite the fact that all other UK Government agencies open up their MP’s hotlines to members of the devolved bodies in recognition of the fact that we receive a diverse range of casework from people often reluctant to go to an MP or who have been let down by their MP.
Immigration Minister Phil Woolas is quoted as saying that the situation arose from the fact that immigration is a reserved matter for UK Ministers, though that does not stop other departments dealing with queries from AMs:
The complaints come against the backdrop of increasing irritation among AMs and some MPs at the attitude of some Whitehall departments and agencies towards the devolved administration.
Earlier this year the Ministry of Justice was heavily criticised for failing to consult with the Assembly Government or the Wales Office over planned job cuts in Cardiff, and there have been similar complaints about the Department for Heath and the now-defunct Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills.
Ceredigion Liberal Democrat MP, Mark Williams is quite right when he says: “Assembly Members have the same legitimacy as any other elected representative, and should be free to carry out any casework that is brought to them.
“Jeopardising people’s immigration status over semantics is ludicrous, and someone in the Home Office urgently needs to give UKBA a lesson on devolution.”
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