DUP MP to raise Home Office U-turn on Border Force jobs in Parliament

The jobs, which will be based at Belfast International Airport, were originally listed with a requirement for candidates to be British passport holders.

However, the SDLP Brexit spokesperson Claire Hanna had expressed concern about this requirement on equality grounds, and said last week she had brought it to the attention of the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland.

The watchdog issued a statement on Thursday announcing it had been “in contact with the Border Force over some time” over the passport requirement.

Now, the Home Office has said the passport requirement was “an error”.

A spokesperson said: “We are aware of an error that occurred within the candidate packs, which accompanied the roles advertised. This incorrectly stated that eligibility was based on having a full and valid British passport. It should instead have read ‘a full and valid passport’. We apologise for this error and are now in the process of correcting it.

“In view of this being brought to our attention, the decision was taken to stop the campaign, correct the wording and readvertise. This is to ensure that no eligible candidates are disadvantaged.”

Mr Robinson, however, said the decision to readvertise “raises more questions than it answers”.

He told the News Letter: “I’ve tabled a number of parliamentary motions about this, basically, to establish that the removal of the criteria applies equally across all of the United Kingdom.

“I would also like to know if there was a process in place to designate these roles as ‘reserved’ and therefore requiring UK citizenship. Was there a process put in place to remove them from that designated list?

“And did UKBAC seek ministerial approval to reissue the job advertisements without the requirement.”

He added: “I think UKBA’s (United Kingdom Border Agency) actions raises more questions than it answers and I am engaging in the parliamentary process to get those answers.”

UUP MLA Steve Aiken, meanwhile, said: “If the Home Office have made this decision, then that is up to them. There is no point in making large mountains out of very small molehills. This is a very welcome jobs announcement for Belfast International Airport, and that is the key thing for us.”