Fit for purpose?

The Home Office has been at it again, again it's a problem over immigration, immigration figures and hiding the figures.

"Jacqui Smith was accused last night of trying to cover up yet another Home Office blunder.

Leaked documents revealed that the Home Secretary was warned four months ago that thousands of illegal immigrants had been cleared to work in sensitive Whitehall security jobs.

But she accepted advice from her officials for a news blackout on the affair, secret memos have confirmed."

"Tory immigration spokesman Damian Green said last night: "The Home Secretary has been caught red-handed putting the short-term interests of the Government before the long-term task of solving a real problem. This exposes Gordon Brown's claim to be bringing about a change in government."

Mr Green said Miss Smith must answer a number of serious questions.

He said: "Why, if she knew about this in July, has she not told Parliament anything about it? One of the memos uses the phrase 'should this issue ever come to light'. Was the Home Secretary hoping she would never have to tell us about it?"

"The documents show that on August 9 Miss Smith accepted a recommendation from her officials to keep the situation out of the public domain.

Her private secretary Mark Williams tells ministers and fellow officials she was unhappy with the explanations provided and did not believe they "are good enough for Press Office or Ministers to use".

He warns officials that Miss Smith was "not content" to wait 10 weeks - as they suggested - for estimates of the numbers of illegal workers involved.

She wanted the information in time for her return from holiday on August 20.

On that day a briefing note from the Policing Policy and Operations Directorate told the Home Secretary that 5,000 foreigners who did not have the right to work in the UK had been issued with SIA licences. It said the Cabinet Office had asked all Government departments to check their guards.

Under the heading "Controversy", the document warned that if the media became aware of this issue they would highlight "negative stories". On August 30 officials confirmed the 5,000 figure to Miss Smith and detailed the work to track them down. Officials repeated their advice to stay quiet rather than risk "significant criticism of the Home Office"."

Here are the memos from today's Daily Mail