Downing Street Says » Immigration

» Monday, March 8, 2004

Immigration

Asked for a reaction to comments from Steve Moxon, an employee at the Immigration and Nationality Directorate, who had claimed that figures on immigration from Eastern Europe were being massaged, the PMOS said that he had nothing further to add to the Home Office’s statement yesterday. Ministers at the Department had not allowed any special exercise to process applications quickly from nationals from EU accession countries in order to meet a 1 May deadline. There was clearly concern at the allegations that had been made and Ministers were investigating immediately. Asked why concern was only being expressed now – after Mr Moxon had gone public, the PMOS said that it wasn’t his job to account for internal processes. He didn’t know them. He was simply making the point that since someone had made some allegations, Ministers had asked for an immediate investigation. That was surely the sensible thing to do. He said that we were sometimes criticised for responding too quickly or dismissively to allegations. In this instance, it was right they were being looked at. That was not to comment on their veracity. Asked if the investigation would be carried out in public or in private, the PMOS said that it would be undertaken internally by the Home Office. Put to him that it should be done in public, the PMOS said that in the first instance it was right for Ministers to enquire of their Department about the allegations that had been made. A decision regarding any next steps would be taken once that process had been completed if it was appropriate.

Asked if Beverley Hughes had been asked why she had not responded to a letter from Mr Moxon in which he had expressed his concerns, the PMOS said that Ms Hughes had not seen, or been made aware of, the list of questions forwarded by Mr Moxon.

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Immigration

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