HC Deb 10 February 1970 vol 795 cc1076-80

Sir Dingle Foot (by Private Notice) asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether Miss Ranjan Vaid, who was refused permission to re-enter Kenya, will now be permitted to enter and remain in the United Kingdom.

The Secretary of State for the Home Department (Mr. James Callaghan)

Miss Vaid applied to the British High Commission in Nairobi for permission to settle in the United Kingdom and was advised that her circumstances did not warrant the immediate grant of a special voucher, and that her name would be put on the waiting list. She nevertheless travelled here via Germany without the necessary document that would have entitled her to land and was refused admission.

Those who encouraged or advised her to try and jump the queue bear the responsibility for her present plight.

I have given consideration to this matter this morning. In view of the position in which she now finds herself, I am ready exceptionally to allow her to enter this country for a short period of three months. This will give her time to regularise her affairs.

Sir Dingle Foot

While I thank my right hon. Friend for that reply, which, so far as it goes, will be welcome to many hon. Members, I wish to put to him three further questions.

First, would it not have been better if this decision had been taken in the first place and this lady had not been compelled to make the return journey across two continents?

Secondly, why did the British Consul in Frankfurt, early this morning, think it necessary to intervene to prevent her onward flight from Frankfurt to London?

Thirdly, will my right hon. Friend give similar consideration in cases of other Kenyan Asians who are also Her Majesty's subjects and holders of British passports and who arrive at our shores?

Mr. Callaghan

On the first question, it would certainly have led to a breakdown of the whole system of orderly control of entry to this country if this lady had been permitted to land without permission and without the necessary documents. The House gave its decision on this matter by an overwhelming majority two years ago. The Act has worked well and stopped the panic rush that was taking place before. I cannot make it easy for those who try to jump the queue.

As to what happened in Frankfurt this morning, I understand that Miss Vaid's advisers approached the British Consul, but, as I have had only two hours' notice of this question, I am not able at this stage to say authoritatively what passed between them.

Thirdly, I certainly give no assurance about other Kenyan Asians who try to jump the queue in this manner. It would break down the whole system—maybe that is the desire of some people—and if it succeeded it would impede the growth of good race relations in this country. Therefore, we cannot make it easy for people to try to evade the control.

Mr. Alexander W. Lyon

Would my right hon. Friend comment, in the light of his last answer, on the assurance that he gave the House during the passing of the Bill to which he has referred, that if a person were kicked out of his country, as this girl undoubtedly was, that person would be given entry to this country if he or she held a British passport?

Mr. Callaghan

I do not know the authority for my hon. Friend's statement, but my information is directly to the contrary. She was not forced to leave the country and she knew that if she left without an entry voucher she would not be allowed to land here.

Mr. David Steel

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that there is growing in Kenya, and possibly will grow in the future in Uganda, a community of semi-destitute British citizens as a result of the queue policy? How can it improve race relations in this country if we keep them there until they are thrown out because they have no money and no job rather than allowing them to come here in an orderly manner, when they could still contribute something to the economy?

Mr. Callaghan

This lady was born in India and then went—I think, when she was very young—to Kenya. I understand that she has not expressed any desire to go back to India, but prefers to come to this country. If this is so, I believe that the House was absolutely right in deciding that we should form an orderly queue and admit people at such a rate as would enhance race relations in this country.

Mr. Deedes

While accepting much of what the Home Secretary has said, is there not a new situation in that a United Kingdom passport holder who now leaves Kenya voluntarily may not be permitted to re-enter without a work permit and has no immediate entitlement to come here? If we are to avoid such persons being shuttled backwards and forwards in an unfortunate way, should we not consider this category and whether we can give it some fresh priority within our present limits?

Mr. Callaghan

There is no fresh consideration here at all and I hope that hon. Members will not try to give any comfort to those who argue that there is. Those who are ejected from their country, as this lady was not, are able to go to the High Commission and they get high priority in vouchers available for issue. This lady, having applied to the High Commission, was told that because there was no requirement on her to leave the country she could not get a priority voucher. Therefore, I do not think that it would be proper for us to give fresh consideration to our policy in this matter.

As to the action of the Kenya authorities in relation to her re-entry, my contacts with them and those of my officials show that they have acted absolutely correctly and in accordance with their policy.

Mr. C. Pannell

Is my right hon. Friend aware that the view he has advanced today will find a great deal of support on both sides of the House, and that this country should not be at the mercy of unscrupulous people abroad, or people careless of the habits of this country, who can impose themselves upon us?

Mr. Callaghan

The policies that have been followed have not, generally speaking, been applied with any harshness. They have resulted in another direction in a substantial reduction in the number of people entering this country. I published the figures yesterday, which show a substantial decline. The number of Commonwealth immigrants last year was 36,000, the smallest for many years. Yet no dependant has been denied entry.

I believe that this is the right way to handle these matters, and that we should now turn our attention to ensuring that there is true equality between people of all colours who are already here.

Mr. Thorpe

Surely the Home Secretary is missing the point. The position is that there is a category of British citizens of Asian descent who, because of policies in Kenya and Uganda which I deplore, are increasingly denied employment prospects. Do we have to wait until they are destitute before the Home Secretary will allow them into this country?

Mr. Callaghan

The right hon. Gentleman has deployed his arguments before. A Second Reading was given to the Act, to which he has constantly been opposed, by 372 votes to 62, one of the largest majorities I have seen in the present Parliament. That being so, it seems to me that it is important that the Act should continue to be administered within the spirit of what I said to the House at that time, and it is so being administered.

Mr. St. John-Stevas

Does the Secretary of State realise that many hon. Members on this side of the House will endorse both his remarks about queue-jumping and his humanitarian decision in the present case?

Mr. Callaghan

I am much obliged to the hon. Gentleman. It is very difficult. Nobody on either side of the House would like to be in the position of seeing a young woman shuttled to and fro between various countries. I believe that it is in accordance with our traditional practice that we should give her a short period of time and try to help her to work out her own future if we can.

Several Hon. Members rose—

Mr. Speaker

Order. The Prime Minister. Statement.