Westminster snubs SNP's amnesty plan for asylum seekers in Scotland

AN ATTEMPT by the SNP-led Scottish Executive to secure an amnesty for 1,400 asylum-seeking families in Scotland has been rejected by UK ministers, it emerged last night.

Fiona Hyslop, the education secretary, set out the Executive's approach to asylum seekers yesterday, calling for all families who had been in Scotland since March 2006 to be given leave to remain indefinitely.

Ms Hyslop revealed she had raised the issue of an asylum seeker "amnesty" with Liam Byrne, the UK immigration minister, earlier this week.

But yesterday, Mr Byrne said:

"We have no plans for an amnesty, which I have condemned as wrong.

"We are doubling resources for enforcement, and now remove a failed asylum seeker every half-hour. That is why the number of people claiming asylum in the UK is at the lowest level since 1993."

Although there are about 1,400 asylum-seeking families in Scotland who would qualify for the SNP's amnesty, there are more than 400,000 in the rest of the UK.

Westminster government ministers clearly believe there is no way they could grant an amnesty for asylum seekers in Scotland without a similar move in the rest of the UK- which they have no intention of doing.

Such an early and uncompromising rejection is a blow to Ms Hyslop's attempts to pursue a more liberal asylum policy in Scotland and to relations between Westminster and Holyrood.

The SNP-led Scottish government has held negotiations with the UK government on a range of issues, from the recovery of attendance allowance benefits for the elderly to an appeal for Scottish ministers to lead for the UK in European fishing talks. In each case, the UK government has made clear it would consider the Scottish government's position.

This is the first time the UK government has snubbed an Executive suggestion so roundly and completely.

A spokeswoman for Ms Hyslop

said: "We will pursue this [and] have constructive talks with the Home Office and other ministers."But realistically, Scottish ministers know there will be no amnesty for asylum seekers in Scotland without a change in UK government policy.

Meanwhile,

the Executive yesterday said it was waiving tuition fees for the children of asylum seekers who have been in Scotland for more than three years. It also announced plans to find nursery places for pre-school children of asylum seekers.

EXECUTIVE UNVEILS STRATEGY FOR REFUGEES

THE Scottish Executive's Cabinet yesterday announced its strategy for asylum seekers.

It included:

• A pledge that asylum seekers must be treated fairly and humanely, particularly when children are involved.

• The total and fundamental opposition to dawn raids - to any kind of forcible removal of children - and to detention of children at Dungavel.

• A commitment to pursue the dawn raids issue as a matter of urgency with Home Office ministers. Scottish ministers want an undertaking from them that they will explore and implement alternative options to enforcement and detention.

• Starting discussions with the Home Office on reinstating the right to work for asylum seekers. Scottish ministers believe the policy of denying the right to work makes no sense when many have skills and experience which are in short supply in Scotland.

• Looking at ways in which the Scottish Government can act within the devolved settlement to promote the best interests of the children of asylum seekers.

• Calling for an amnesty for all asylum seeker families who have been in Scotland since before March 2006 (and have not been involved in fraudulent or criminal activity), asking the UK Government to give them leave to remain in Scotland indefinitely, to work and claim benefits.

• Making sure the UK Government sticks to all the commitments it made on asylum seekers to previous Scottish Executives.