As most of us here in Cwmbran will have read the content of the Queen’s Speech, analysed and cogitated upon it at length, I wonder if the Government are going a step too far? There are two things that jump out straight away: are hardworking medical professionals as well as treating the sick and infirm (that’s if you’re one of the fortunate ones in the Royal Gwent)going to have to check whether their patient is entitled to the care of the NHS? Is the Government at risk of turning our health service into a branch of the immigration police? As those of you follow my blog are aware, during my illustrious military career, I saw much action. I can remember fighting in the bhundoo and having one minute been trying to kill a native in the name of Queen and country and then later that evening carrying him to a field hospital after he had trodden on his spear. I made no reference to his national insurance number or his passport details. This leads me onto my second observation of HM’s speech: private landlords (no mention of agents) will now have a legal responsibility that they only let properties to people allowed to be in Great Britain. As we all know, letting agents do very stringent checks that include NI number, proof of address, passport details etc. etc. However, private landlords who sometimes specialise in renting to non-locals (let me clarify, in Cwmbran, that means you are from Newport), do provide a valuable service. Landlords do not discriminate and currently neither does the law, between local non-payers and non-local non-payers. Being in arrears is the same whatever country is on your passport. This latest legislation would appear to be yet another example of the government asking society to step in where the immigration service and the policing of it have failed.
