A WESTERN Isles schoolgirl denied a passport because she could not find her mother’s birth certificate had her case raised in Westminster this week, writes Sandy Neil.
Na h-Eileanan an Iar SNP MP Angus MacNeil had expressed disbelief at the Home Office’s refusal to grant a passport to the 14-year-old islander, who was born in Scotland, because they were unable to confirm she was a British citizen.
The MP’s office explained that in 2005 the schoolgirl’s mother left her in the care of her father and paternal grandparents. In 2015, the girl’s father passed away, and she is now cared for by her paternal grandparents, who have parental rights and responsibilities.