§ 19. Mr. Moyleasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the percentage increase in the number of immigrants plus dependants admitted to this country for permanent settlement in the last 12 month period for which figures are available as compared with the 12-month period immediately preceding it.
§ Mr. MaudlingIn the 12 months ended 31st May, 1971, there was a decrease, as compared with the previous 12 months, of 1.4 per cent. in the number of Commonwealth 1664 citizens including United Kingdom passport holders from East Africa, admitted for settlement.
§ Mr. MoyleIn view of that reply, will the right hon. Gentleman take the opportunity of dissociating himself from the speech made by the right hon. Member for Wolverhampton, South-West (Mr. Powell) at Huddersfield on 7th July, when he sought, by the use of spurious statistics, to convince the gullible sections of the population that immigration is increasing?
§ Mr. MaudlingI shall confine myself to giving the statistics available to me. If I commented on the statistics produced by other hon. and right hon. Members, I should have a busy life.
§ Mr. StokesIs my right hon. Friend aware that the decrease in the numbers is infinitesimal and that most ordinary English people are looking for a substantial decrease, and soon?
§ Mr. MaudlingThis involves United Kingdom passport holders and the rest of the Commonwealth. Admissions from the Commonwealth, excluding East Africa, have been falling substantially.
§ Mr. Merlyn ReesWhat is the reason for the substantial decline in the section to which the right hon. Gentleman has just referred?
§ Mr. MaudlingThere has been a reduction in the number of vouchers granted, and one expects the number of families coming in to decline.
§ 21. Mr. Leslie Huckfieldasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has for recording numbers, statistics and personal details of immigrants on computer.
§ Mr. SharplesNone, Sir.
§ Mr. HuckfieldIf the Department implements the new Immigration Bill, it will need computers or some kind of increased filing system to assist. Is the hon. Gentleman aware that the Department will have the capacity for doing this on the national police computer? If he goes on recording these statistics and details on a personal computer, will the work be covered by the Official Secrets Act? Departments will have access to the information? Will he give to the 1665 House a full explanation before any further progress is made?
§ Mr. SharplesAs I understand it, no practical system has yet been devised for keeping these records on a computer. If such a scheme as that mentioned by the hon. Gentleman were brought into operation, the information obtained for the purposes of the Aliens Order and the Immigration Acts would not be given to any unauthorised persons.