HC Deb 27 May 1968 vol 765 cc1202-5
10. Mr. Barnes

asked the Minister of Social Security if she will clarify the circumstances in which it is Government policy to repatriate immigrants who want to return home.

11. Mr. Winnick

asked the Minister of Social Security if she will state the existing Government policy to assist those immigrants who want to return home.

21. Mr. Hornby

asked the Minister of Social Security what steps she has taken to publicise the repatriation of immigrants scheme generally, and in particular among those who could take advantage of it.

Mrs. Hart

The Supplementary Benefits Commission pay the fare for an immigrant to return to his country of origin when the following conditions all apply: first, that he himself genuinely wishes to return there; second, that it will be in his own interests because he has no prospect of settling down in this country successfully; third, that he cannot himself pay his fare; and fourth, that public money is likely to be saved by helping him to return. These arrangements have, I think, become well known to the public.

Mr. Barnes

Would the right hon. Lady not agree that it is still not clear from what the Home Secretary said on television and what the Prime Minister said in answer to a Question last week by the right hon. Member for Kingston-upon-Thames (Mr. Boyd-Carpenter) whether the Government are considering extending this assistance to any immigrant who wants to go home but cannot pay the fare? Would she not agree that even to discuss repatriation in this way in the present climate would be very wrong?

Mrs. Hart

Yes, I would agree. The present scheme has been working since 1935. It has covered a very small number of cases because of the conditions which have to be satisfied and there are no proposals at the moment for extending the scheme.

Mr. Winnick

Would my right hon. Friend agree, first and foremost, that the vast majority of immigrants here want to stay here and have no intention of returning to their land of origin, and that if we are not careful there could be a danger that certain people would try to coerce or bully immigrants to get them home? Would she agree that, in no circumstances, must people be subject to any form of coercion?

Mrs. Hart

No form of coercion would be possible because of the conditions which have to be met before the fare can be paid. It has to be clear that the immigrant has no chance of settling down successfully here, that he wants to return to his country of origin, and that public money would, in the long run, be saved. These conditions, I think, successfully preclude any possibility of coercion.

Mr. Worsley

Is the right hon. Lady aware that the Home Secretary's remarks on television gave the impression— wrongly, I think—that there had been a change of policy here? Second, is she aware that very few immigrants have been helped by this scheme? Would she ensure that those who genuinely want to return home are made aware of it?

Mrs. Hart

On the last point, there has been a good deal of publicity given in the last three weeks. This is why I think that no further publicity is required. I do not agree that my right hon. Friend gave any false impression. He said that this scheme had been in operation for many years, and it has been made quite clear that the numbers who have been assisted are very limited. I gave the full figures in a speech quoted in the Press about two or three weeks ago.

Mr. Dudley Smith

Does the right hon. Lady not feel that, with better publicity, there might be greater acceptance of this scheme by those who need to be helped? Would she bear in mind that there are often language difficulties and that, if this could be explained in the languages of the immigrants concerned, this would also help?

Mrs. Hart

What has to be remembered—I know that I am not answering the question directly, but I think I am answering the point behind it—is that immigrants coming in on either A or B vouchers have a high degree of skill or professional training, or have jobs ready for them. It is wrong to suppose, therefore, that immigrants are a burden to the community in the sense that they fail to find work. It is in the odd case, where there is perhaps some genuine social maladjustment or illness, that it is necessary for us to assist them with their fares to return to their countries of origin, if that is what they want to do.

22. Sir Richard Glyn

asked the Minister of Social Security how many immigrants are claiming benefit for dependants resident outside Great Britain; how many dependants are involved; what annual sum is sent out of Great Britain for this purpose; and how she satisfies herself as to the existence of these dependants.

Mrs. Hart

An immigrant to this country can qualify for benefit for dependants abroad only in limited circumstances. In practice, the hon. Gentleman's Question relates almost entirely to dependants living in Western European countries, Australia, New Zealand, Malta, Cyprus and Turkey, with which we have relevant reciprocal agreements. I regret that the figures and costs asked for are not available.

Sir Richard Glyn

Would the right hon. Lady agree that a substantial number of immigrants are claiming relief for alleged dependants who are said to be resident in areas where it is practically impossible for their existence to be checked? Would she consider whether or not these unprovable claims should be met in future?

Mrs. Hart

For an application of this kind from a country which is not covered by a reciprocal agreement the conditions are, I assure the hon. Gentleman, extremely tightly drawn. Any case of doubt goes to an independent statutory authority and is carefully judged on a stringent basis.

Mr. Hugh D. Brown

Even though, technically, my right hon. Friend's Answer might be satisfactory, is she aware that it does not answer the malicious propaganda, which certain hon. Members are using, directed against immigrants? Would she agree that it would be worth while to get the statistical information, since this would disprove the allegations that are being made?

Mrs. Hart

I have set that in hand. What I have said in reply to the hon. Member for Dorset, North (Sir Richard Glyn) and other hon. Gentlemen opposite points out exactly how far the scheme has been restricted to people from countries which are not, I believe, normally in the minds of hon. Gentlemen opposite in this connection.