BELAIR--"Everyone has a right to petition as per the constitution," Justice Minister Roland Duncan pointed out to personnel of the Immigration and Naturalisation Department (IND) and other government departments as he urged them to "allow government to do its job."
Speaking to civil servants at a recent session about changes to the admittance and expulsion regulations, Duncan explained that if someone goes into IND and requests permanent residence, for example, and the department worker can see the applicant is not eligible based on the documents presented, the person just cannot be turned away. This is a petition to government and it must be taken and registered, he added. The request must also be answered formally and within the four-month period regulated by law for petitions from citizens/residents.
A "whole new system" is set up to handle petitions from foreigners living in the country, the minister said. He did not give details of the streamlining of that process. "We carry a heavy responsibility to deal with foreigners."
Duncan said a civil servant's job is, "to execute the policy and not to make the policy [by which the ministry operates] ... I need you to understand that." He added that it is within the purview of the minister to issue certain instructions and policy changes.
Niclas Alexandersson Mark Bright Robert Schumann Dorset Internet Luis Moreno-Ocampo
No comments:
Post a Comment