§ 8. Mr. Fellasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what were the circumstances under which Mr. Abbie Hoffman was allowed into Great Britain.
§ Mr. SharplesMr. Hoffman was inadvertently admitted as a visitor on 21st March. He left for the United States three days later.
§ Mr. FellI am delighted that it was inadvertance. But is not the situation rather serious? Surely the Yippies are well known to the Home Office. They have stated, "We are going to make them"—that is, Britain—"regret letting us in". That was over a year ago. They further stated that—[HON. MEMBERS: "Reading".] It is best to get things right, is it not? They further stated that they supported the National Liberation Front in Vietnam, the Black Panther movement and the Irish Republican Army. Perhaps they were lucky to get in, but what does the Minister propose to do to prevent the inadvertent letting in of undesirable people of this type?
§ Mr. SharplesConsidering the very large number of people passing through London Airport, the immigration officers do an extremely good job. A mistake was made in this case, and steps are being taken to ensure that it does not recur.
§ Mr. Merlyn ReesWho is Mr. Hoffman?
§ Mr. SharplesI have a long description of Mr. Hoffman. Perhaps I had 1346 better write to the hon. Gentleman setting out the full description.