'Firm, fair and fast' is the government's new slogan regarding its Immigration Bill.

Will this additional immigration legislation strike the right balance between all three?One thing is certain: it will be firm.

There are proposals to strip refugees of their dignity by the introduction of vouchers for basic necessities.

Nick Hardwick of the Refugee Council accurately describes the move as 'de-humanising'.

The social stigma of producing vouchers instead of cash should serve as a reminder of the divide existing between us and them.

And what about the dispersal of refugees to pockets all over the country? The housing available is likely to be empty and in derelict areas where services and education are poor.Mike O'Brien, the Home Office minister responsible for immigration matters, has flagged up a change of emphasis in the way the immigration debate is to be conducted in future.

However, with some of the provisions, it is hard to believe things will be made better and not worse.

For example, registrars conducting marriages will have a statutory duty to report 'sham' marriages, which is interpreted as being similar to the former primary purpose rule.Already, other bodies such as transport companies, the social services and employers generall y, are being asked to act as unpaid immigration officers.

Registrars will be added to this ever growing category of people.

Furthermore, while all civil marriages will be caught by these draconian powers of the registrars, it seems Church Banns will be exempt.

There would be an outcry if priests were asked to report their parishioners.

Does this smack of religious discrimination? So much for a multi-cultural society.In the proposed legislation the Home Secretary is given wide scope - in this Bill there are more than 50 new powers.

But of greater concern is that most of the detail will be in the form of secondary legislation.

In other words, measures can be passed and changed without much opposition.

For the first time, immigration officers are to be given new powers to stop, search and seize.

What will this mean for the ethnic minority community? Could this result in immigration officers targeting ethnic minorities and having the justification of the law to protect them?As for the proposal to have a financial bond to act as security for those visiting Britain, how is this going to work? Is the bond going to be used as an excuse to turn away those who cannot afford to put up huge amounts of money? There are no details and yet already announcements are being made about a pilot.

In criminal law, experience suggests that pilots are begun and implemented as policy before the results of the survey are known.

Are we going to see the same with this?As for 'fast', well, those who practise immigration law might as well take a long holiday, as there is utter chaos at the Home Office.

The system has ground to a halt while the Home Office building is being refurbished and computerised.The special standing committee, an all-party government body which takes evidence from interested groups, represents at least an opportunity for organisations formally to express detailed concerns.

It is to be hoped that those concerns will be taken on board.

Looking at the various provisions of the Bill, it is clear that proposed legislation is an attempt to improve and co-ordinate the current service.

This is to be welcomed.

However, many of the provisions divide communities by treating them differently.

What kind of signal is it sending to the public at large?The 1999 Minority Lawyers Conference, being held on 20 March is a perfect opportunity for solicitors to meet and discuss these ideas.

Anyone interested in attending the conference should telephone 0121 355 0900.