§ 31. Dr. D. Johnsonasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the criteria employed by his Department in selecting the quota of refugees for resettlement in Great Britain under the World Refugee Year Scheme.
§ Mr. RentonI would refer my hon. Friend to the Answer I gave to the hon. Member for Gateshead, West (Mr. Randall) on 10th March.
§ Dr. JohnsonIs my hon. and learned Friend aware of the allegations in a recent article in the Daily Mail that the type of people being brought in by his Department are rather different from those we naturally think of in this connection? Is he likewise aware that, if he wants to bring into this country fit people in this category, I can recommend him to the case about which I have been in communication with him? There is a job waiting for that person in Carlisle, and he can be brought into the country without any expense at all.
§ Mr. RentonThe revised criteria which I gave to the House on 10th March have been welcomed by all concerned, including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, who has described them as
a gesture that is nothing less than unprecedented".I am glad to be able to tell the House that it seems that about 1,200 people in refugee camps, who have been there for a long time, come within the revised criteria and it seems that there will be no difficulty in finding sponsors for them in this country.