Plaid Cymru – the new government of Wales – is maintaining a large subsidy for immigration advice for migrants despite the policy area never having been devolved. Has anyone checked in on Scotland’s “embassies” as well?
The Welsh government launched an immigration legal support scheme in April this year, which gives out a maximum subsidy to immigration advisers of £150,000. Its justification is as follows:
“Timely access to high quality immigration advice increases access to basic rights such as housing and reduces the number of people falling into crisis, which is in the common interest of the people of Wales.”
The scheme has a budget of £1.05 million. Plaid Cymru is keeping it going. Deputy First Minister Sioned Williams supported the scheme in a letter seen by Guido, in which she argued:
“Asylum and immigration law, including the regulation of and access to immigration legal advice, are reserved to the UK Government. Due to the shortage of immigration legal advisors and legal aid providers in Wales, the Welsh Government provides funding to develop and improve the resilience of the legal sector in Wales.”
Plaid always points out that immigration is not a devolved area yet are keeping this scheme going. Reform is calling for the scheme to be scrapped and a spokesman tells Guido:
“It is incredible that Plaid Cymru support an immigration legal advice scheme, when they keep reminding us that it is not devolved to the Senedd. The Increasing Immigration Legal Advice Provision is wasting over one million pounds of Welsh taxpayer cash to support asylum seekers and migrants, when many people in Wales are struggling with their own legal costs.
Alongside their Nation of Sanctuary scheme, Plaid Cymru are backing another pull factor which needlessly attracts illegal immigrants to Wales.”
Immigration is a massive grift train…
Badenoch said at her speech on Monday morning: “We are absolutely ready to fight a general election. We saw the results in Aberdeen South: 50% of the vote. Because we can unite the country… It’s about uniting the country, for God’s sake, behind a centre-right agenda.”