Urgent question

Shadow home secretary Chris Grayling has accused ministers of setting out to "deliberately deceive" the British people over a plan to relax immigration rules.

Immigration Minister Phil Woolas, answering an urgent question tabled by Mr Grayling on 9 November, rejected the opposition's charge of breaking Freedom of Information laws to prevent documents relating to the policy being released.

The Home Office is being accused of "fast tracking" visas, work permits and extended residency to migrants in order to clear a backlog of cases in 2002.

Mr Grayling also said the Home Office had tried to withhold documents from the information commissioner.

Mr Woolas said the government had complied with the law at all times and that the policies in question had been the subject of a "thorough" investigation.