Glasgow MP to meet Prime Minister over Red Road deaths

Meeting: Gordon Brown and Willie Bain will meet on Wednesday© STV

The Labour MP for the Glasgow district where three Russian asylum seekers apparently committed suicide will meet Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Wednesday to highlight the "sense of shock in the community".

Willie Bain, who was elected to the House of Commons last year following the Glasgow North East by-election sparked by the resignation of speaker Michael Martin, will meet Mr Brown to discuss the deaths of the Russians - understood to be Serguei Serykh, 43, his wife Tatiana and his stepson - who are thought to have jumped from the 15th floor of the Red Road flats in Petershill Drive, Springburn at the weekend.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, Mr Bain said: "I hope just to impress on him (Gordon Brown) the sense of shock that there is in the community." Mr Bain said he hoped to speak about making improvements to the asylum system to make it more efficient and speed up the time it takes for applications to be processed.

He also wanted to discuss ways in which the support and help currently available to those seeking asylum in the UK can be more widely publicised, what care can be provided to asylum seekers with particular needs including health, and what help can be provided to those whose claims have already been fully determined.

In an earlier statement on Tuesday, the Labour MP said he considered bringing up the case at Prime Minister’s Questions at Wednesday lunchtime but came to the conclusion that this was not the "best environment in which to raise the issue".

It is understood the deceased family moved to Canada and were granted refugee status in 2005. However, an application for Canadian citizenship was refused. It is believed the family received a letter explaining that their accommodation in Glasgow was due to stop on Sunday.

Many of the Red Road flats, which are earmarked for demolition, are occupied by asylum seekers and refugees. The building is owned by Glasgow Housing Association, which lets the majority of flats in it to the YMCA.

Paul Martin, the MSP for Springburn, told STV News that moving people from the Red Road flats is a long-term project and could take up to ten years to complete. In the short-term, he said that he will continue to work closely with the YMCA and Glasgow City Council to carry out improvements to living conditions.

He added: "While Red Road is a transient community, people here care for each other and there is a real spirit."

On Tuesday, around 30 protesters from the Red Road flats protested at the Glasgow office of the UK Border Agency over the agency’s role in the deaths.

A statement released on Tuesday night, the agency said: "Any death of this kind is a tragedy, and our deepest sympathies are with their family and friends at this time. We had advised the family that we were making arrangements to return them to Canada - where they had been granted protection. However, no imminent action to remove them from the UK had been planned.

"No UK Border Agency officers were in the vicinity when these events took place. We will continue to work with Strathclyde Police while this incident is under investigation."

Meanwhile, Glasgow-based charity Positive Action in Housing has called for a public inquiry into the deaths of the family.
 

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