apt-get incorrectly prompts user to remove required i386 packages in multiarch environment

[Rocko]

I installed skype from the i386 deb package that I downloaded from the Skype webpage (because apt-get install skype:i386 reported that the package does not exist), and used apt-get -f install to install it and its dependent i386 libraries. Now when I run apt-get, I get prompted with:

The following packages were automatically installed and are no longer required:
  libkrb5-3:i386 libk5crypto3:i386 libstdc++6:i386 libqt4-declarative:i386
  liblcms1:i386 libqt4-script:i386 libqt4-network:i386 libqt4-dbus:i386
  libgnutls26:i386 libtasn1-3:i386 libfreetype6:i386 libexpat1:i386
  libqt4-xmlpatterns:i386 libavahi-common-data:i386 libxcb1:i386 libxau6:i386
  libcups2:i386 libqtcore4:i386 libkrb5support0:i386 libice6:i386
  libxdmcp6:i386 libgcrypt11:i386 libpostproc51 libkeyutils1:i386
  libqt4-sql:i386 libasound2:i386 libxrender1:i386 libqt4-xml:i386
  libxss1:i386 libtiff4:i386 libjpeg62:i386 libqtgui4:i386
  libavahi-client3:i386 libx11-6:i386 libfontconfig1:i386 libsm6:i386
  libgssapi-krb5-2:i386 libxi6:i386 libaudio2:i386 libxt6:i386 libxv1:i386
  libxext6:i386 libavahi-common3:i386 libmng1:i386 libgpg-error0:i386
Use 'apt-get autoremove' to remove them.

However, if I run apt-get autoremove, skype no longer works because of course it depends on these packages.

I would expect apt-get to recognise the dependencies and not prompt me to uninstall these packages.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 11.10
Package: apt 0.8.16~exp5ubuntu6
Uname: Linux 3.1.0-rc4-git-20110831.1150 x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
Architecture: amd64
Date: Sat Sep 3 10:01:31 2011
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 11.04 "Natty Narwhal" - Beta amd64 (20110330)
SourcePackage: apt
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to oneiric on 2011-09-02 (0 days ago)

[Torsten Spindler (tspindler)]

apt can only know about these dependencies when the package declares them. Not sure if that is the case with the skype package. As a work around, you can use 'apt-mark' to prevent those packages from being autoremoved.

Does the problem still exist on Precise, I use skype there and at least the packaging system is up to the task to install and remove it.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for apt (Ubuntu) because there has been no activity for 60 days.]