Tony Blair has publicly rejected the moratorium call

Tony Blair has publicly rejected the moratorium call.Mr Meacher said yesterday: “We need the accurate, scientifically based data on which we can make the judgment that the sowing of GM crops and the use of their accompanying herbicides does not cause significant damage to the environment.”His comments came as the Government took the unprecedented step of issuing all its MPs with a “fact-pack” signed by five ministers and designed to quell fears over GM crops.It illustrates the depth of government anxiety over the issue. He raises the issue of the logistics of providing legal advice for someone who has been advised for their asylum interview in London, and is then removed to live several hundred miles away. Concern about the problem has led to a crackdown on legal aid claims by the Legal Aid Board and its recent announcement that it would work more closely with the Office for the Supervision of Solicitors.Mr Randall says that the proposals may mean, in practice, that there will be more problems than savings in trying to achieve this aim. But Christopher Randall, a solicitor at the law firm Winstanley-Burgess, argues that moving people away from London, where there are established and sophisticated facilities designed to identify and help genuine victims, means that “people are going to be stuck, as victims of torture, with hundreds of miles to go for help. These are very damaged people in difficult situations – I’m sure the suicide rate will go up.”As for the view that one aim of the Bill is to cut down the advisers – qualified and otherwise – who are seen as using the immigration appeals procedures as a way of milking public funds, plans to force solicitors to be covered by a new statutory regulatory scheme have been shelved for the moment. Although the emphasis of the proposals has been on tackling economic migrants, figures released by the Home Office show that the majority of asylum-seekers come from areas of conflict – in 1998, 16 per cent of all asylum-seekers were from Yugoslavia, 10 per cent from Somalia and 8 per cent from Sri Lanka.When the Bill was published, Mr Straw said that he was aware that specialised benefits would be needed for certain asylum-seekers. The welfare of the taxpayer has been seen as driving these proposals, but the lawyers who will have to deal with the new system argue that Mr Straw has come up with a plan that will not only end up costing more to the taxpayer, but will also severely disadvantage genuine asylum-seekers.Instead of deterring opportunists, says Jane Coker, a solicitor, “the system they are setting up is inevitably going to be more expensive.

There will be a separate adjudication system, a separate system with shops, and a separate transport system.”They are not going to provide access to health care – so there will be an increased burden on the Accident & Emergency services.”More seriously, the Bill as it stands will penalise victims of torture and asylum-seekers suffering from other forms of trauma. Just over 46,000 people made applications for asylum last year, significantly more than the 32,000 put forward in 1997.The two most significant moves in the Home Secretary Jack Straw’s plans to deter economic migrants and bogus refugees are, first, the replacement of cash benefits by shop tokens and, second, the plans to remove the financial burden from London and the South-east by sending asylum applicants to “reception zones” all over the country. The Bill promises to speed up an application process that has already been choked by Home Office computer problems, faulty telephone lines and the disorganised moving of applicants’ files from one building to another – one lawyer has even been moved to ask whether civil servants do have a sense of irony, as the Bill’s subtitle is “fairer, faster and firmer”.
Jawaid Luqmani, a solicitor at Luqmani Thompson & Partners, describes the Bill as an attempt to set up a system whereby “even genuine asylum applicants will have to swim against the tide in order to survive”.The proposals have come at a time when local authorities have groaned under the financial burden of dealing with destitute refugees. Over the last two weeks, leading lawyers from the Immigration Law Practitioners Association have also predicted that the Government’s proposals will dump victims of torture in areas of the country that cannot cater to their needs, will penalise women who have been abused, and will strand children in schools that are unable to cope with their learning disabilities. The new Immigration and Asylum Bill will raise the suicide rate among asylum-seekers.

If you see yourself in a positive light you will find that other people will respond very differently towards you.If you have a work problem and want expert advice, write to Carmen Middleditch, Fast Track, Features, The Independent, 1 Canada Square, Canary Wharf, London E14 5DL; fax 0171-293 2068; e-mail: c.fielding independent.co.uk. In this way you gradually move into a new field rather than making a dramatic change.But the most important thing right now is to give yourself credit for the successes and achievements that you have made in your life so far. Have you considered the travel and tourism industries? While these are very competitive fields, you may be able to find an organisation where you can build on your current strengths and gain additional skills through part-time or short courses. Identify the elements of some of your most recent jobs and decide which parts you liked most. Was it using your languages, working with people, organising things or working to the pressure of deadlines? Then try to identify the types of companies where you had the best time You clearly have a natural talent for languages and travel. For what it’s worth I’m optimistic for you – you have talents.Celia Nicholson, managing consultant, Sanders & Sidney, Specialists in Career Counselling (01908 222 622), says:You have obviously gained an enormous amount of experience working in different companies and countries and this will certainly have a value in your future job search Don’t be too quick to dismiss that. Whatever your role, my motto is leave if people treat you badly.

All approaches to career guidance centre on isolating what people are interested in and what they are good at. You can do this for yourself and ask your friends for their views. I recommend Clive Fletcher’s book Get that Job! Having got together some ideas, make a plan and act positively. Alternatively, spend some money with a firm of career consultants. Be aware, however, that the field of adult careers guidance is currently unregulated. IPD does not recommend any particular firms, but we do have a register of guidance firms who have signed up to the Institute’s code of practice in this area.Paul Roscorla, occupational psychologist, Acker Deboeck, says:Compared to most people, you have little reason to feel desperate. Your qualifications suggest you are bright, and as Europe inevitably comes together, language skills will become ever more valuable.