Thinktank pressure
Well IPPR have been getting some flack this week from Guido, who pointed out some of the “advantages” of being so close to the present Government. Guido points out how the IPPR will lose influence under the inevitable rise of Brown as PM. But it seems that they’re influence is already wanning. The Government openly criticised their recent findings on immigration in this written question:
Immigration: Irregular Migrants
Lord Judd asked Her Majesty’s Government:
What is their response to the publication by the Institute for Public Policy Research, Irregular Migration in the United Kingdom, and, in particular, to the estimate that the forced deportation of all irregular migrants could cost the taxpayer some £4.7 billion while the regularising of work status could net some £1 billion for HM Treasury. [HL6018]
The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Scotland of Asthal): The figures provided in the Institute for Public Policy Research’s paper are questionable and must be treated with caution.
You’ve probably noticed that Baroness Scotland is a minister for the Home Office. Well the IPPR certaintly got their own back last weekend with the publication of the internal survey showing that only 6% of staff think the Home Office thought poor performance was dealth with effectively (the second worst department next to the Department of Transport)
Long live the IPPR!