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Highland Gaelic Speaker, 7, Faces Deportation

Highland Gaelic Speaker, 7, Faces Deportation

A seven-year-old boy from Australia whose first language is Gaelic is facing deportation from Scotland along with his family.

Now the SNP has called on the Chancellor to help stop the deportation of Lachlan Brain and his parents Gregg and Kathryn.

They moved to Scotland under a Scottish Government initiative which was backed by the Home Office, to help repopulate the Highlands.

They have lived in Dingwall for more than four years, but their application for an interim visa has been dismissed.

The SNP's Westminster leader Angus Robertson used Wednesday's Prime Minister's Questions - being taken by George Osborne - to quiz the Chancellor on the case.

He said: "Next week, as the Home Secretary is currently briefing him, the Home department plans to deport him and his family despite the fact that he arrived as part of a Scottish Government initiative backed by the Home Office to attract people to live and work in the region.

"This case has been front page news in Scotland and been repeatedly raised in the House. What does the Chancellor have to say to the Brain family and the community who want them to stay?"

In response Mr Osborne said: "Well as I understand it the family don't meet the immigration criteria.

"The Home Secretary says she's very happy to write to him on the details of the specific case."

Mr Robertson was unhappy with the response, saying the Chancellor knows "nothing about it" and described the response as "not good enough".

He said appeals have already been made to Theresa May by the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, and the family's local MP.

He added: "It is wall to wall across the media of Scotland and the Chancellor of the Exchequer clearly knew nothing about it."

He followed up with a second question, asking: "The problem in the Highlands of Scotland, is not immigration, it has been emigration, so even at this late stage, knowing nothing about it, will the Chancellor speak to the Home Secretary, speak to the Prime Minister and get this sorted out?"

Mr Osborne responded: "Well as I say the Home Secretary will write to him on the details of the case, but can I make a suggestion to the SNP?

"They now have very substantial tax and enterprise powers and if they want to attract people to the Highlands of Scotland why don't they create an entrepreneurial Scotland that people want to move to from the rest of the UK, where they can grow their business and have a successful life."