If a mantra can be seen as representative
of an organisation’s culture then the Home Office’s recent motto, “Go home”, is
illustrative of what this ministerial department has come to stand for.
Yet this message, recently seen plastered
on the side of vans which were driven through London
Mark Harper’s absolute obedience in toeing
the party line when it comes to the Tory stance on immigration is evident in
his defence of not only the now scrapped ‘racist vans’ but in his recent
rejection of the Children’s Commissioner’s allegations that the government is
failing to fulfill its human rights obligations towards children with regards
to the amended family migration rules.
The dismissal – packed with the Home
Office doublespeak we have come to associate with Harper - came two months
after Children’s Commissioner Maggie Atkinson slammed the rules in a
commendable letter to the minister which raised her grave concerns over the
promotion of the welfare and well being of children in the UK
 |
| Minister of State for Immigration Mark Harper |
Harper’s predictably disappointing
response has angered opponents of the rules who are growing increasingly
frustrated with the MP’s unwillingness to engage in any real debate on the
issue and with his hollow promises to continue to monitor the impact of the
rules and to consider the findings of the APPG on Migration in its recent
Family Migration inquiry.
Particularly frustrating is Harper’s lack
of serious consideration with regards to the Commissioner’s concerns that
caseworkers are not giving due consideration to the best interests of the child
in their decision-making - a claim which is supported by the Independent Chief
Inspector of Borders and Immigration’s review of nearly 40 applications for
entry clearance on the basis of marriage in which there was a child in the UK
from April to October 2012, which found none of the refusals made any reference
to best interests.
Furthermore, Harper denied the existence
of any policy to refuse visit visas to spouses who have previously been refused
a spouse visa on the grounds they are trying to circumnavigate the rules. Yet
we continue to see such a trend.
A good mantra can serve to inform an
organisation in its everyday decisions and it can guide strategy and act as a
rallying point. But when dealing with a department which recently revealed the
mantra “Go home” to the world, it is perhaps no surprise that the very
framework in which this organisation works to protect children is under
question.
Letter from Mark Harper MP on Children and
Family Immigration Rules:
Letter to Mark Harper MP, Minister of
State for Immigration, on new Family Migration Rules: http://www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/content/publications/content_721
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