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One would have thought that the Home Office Ministers directly responsible for the Immigration department (Tony McNulty), and for the Prison system (Baroness Scotland) would have resigned over the foreign convicts non-deportation scandal.

However, Tony Blair's Cabinet re-shuffle has left both of these Ministers of State in office, but has swept away all the other Home Office Ministers !

The heavy losses suffered by the Labour party in Local Elections on Thursday, seems to have prompted the timing of the Ministerial re-shuffle announced on Friday. This is presumably designed to try to distract the media and wekend press. from the bad political news for Tony Blair.

The Home Office Ministerial team used to look like this:

Home Secretary - Rt Hon Charles Clarke MP

• Minister of State for Policing, Security and Community Safety -Rt Hon Hazel Blears MP
  
  • Parliamentary Under Secretary of State - Paul Goggins MP
    

• Minister of State for Criminal Justice and Offender Management - Baroness Scotland of Asthall QC
  
  • Parliamentary Under-Secretary - Fiona Mactaggart MP
    

• Minister of State Immigration, Citizenship and Nationality - Tony McNulty
  
  • Parliamentary Under-Secretary - Andy Burnham MP
    

After the re-shuffle:

Home Secretary - Rt Hon John Reid MP for Airdrie and Shotts (central Scotland)

• Minister of State for Policing, Security and Community Safety
  - Liam Byrne MP for Birmingham Hodge Hill
  • Parliamentary Under Secretary of State - ?

• Minister of State for Criminal Justice and Offender Management - Baroness Scotland of Asthall QC
  
  • Parliamentary Under-Secretary - ?

• Minister of State Immigration, Citizenship and Nationality - Tony McNulty
  
  • Parliamentary Under-Secretary - ?

Charles Clarke has resigned / been sacked and returns to the backbenches.

The odious Andy Burnham has been "promoted" to become a Minister of State at the Department of Health.

Paul Goggins has been moved sideways at the same level to become Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Northern Ireland office.

Fiona Mactaggart has resigned and returned to the backbenches. Was she pushed, or did this former Chair of a human rights organisation actually find her conscience again after her stint inside the repressive NuLabour Home Office ?

So which of the announced Parliamentary Under-Secretary junior ministerial posts belongs to which of these new junior Ministers ?

• Parliamentary Under Secretary of State Joan Ryan MP for Enfield North (London)

  Previously a Lords Commissioner, HM Treasury i.e. a Government Whip

• Parliamentary Under Secretary of State - Vernon Coaker MP for Gedling (north Nottingham)

  Previously a Lords Commissioner, HM Treasury i.e. a Government Whip

• Parliamentary Under Secretary of State - Gerry Sutcliffe MP for Bradford South

  Previously Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Employment Relations and Consumer Affairs), Department of Trade and Industry

Which one of them will have been handed the poisoned chalice of having to try to justify the National Identity Register / ID cards scheme and the National DNA Database, instead of Andy Burnham ?

Neither the main Home Office website, nor their Press Release website, give any clue. Their General Enquiries number is unmanned over the weekend and their Press Office number is constantly busy.

No doubt some favoured journalist or other will eventually be briefed, probably before the Public, or the Home Office staff or Parliament.