Petition Public Inquiry into the deaths of 23 Chinese cockle-pickers who drowned in Morecambe Bay and illegal immigration in general.

We, the undersigned, call on the government to hold a Public Inquiry into the drowning of 23 Chinese cockle-pickers in Morecambe Bay on 5th February 2004. These people were illegal immigrants who were exploited by greedy gangmasters who paid the cockle-pickers as litttle as £8 a day to dig out cockles. Over a year before this tragic event occurred, the activities of illegal Chinese immigrants had been reported by locals to local Labour MP Geraldine Smith. She wrote to the Home Office to inform them of this and to determine what action would be taken. The response by Labour's Junior Home Office Minister, Fiona Mactaggart, was that nothing would be done due to "resource issues" and that "little useful purpose would have been served by sending officers to assist." What has been done to tackle illegal immigration since the tragedy in 2004?