§ Q6. Mr. Bidwellasked the Prime Minister if he is satisfied with the coordination between the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Home Department on Commonwealth immigration.
§ The Prime MinisterYes, Sir.
§ Mr. BidwellWith regard to the retrospective effect of the Immigration Act 1971, does the right hon. Gentleman realise that this has caused very deep and genuine anxiety among thousands of legally settled, coloured, new Commonwealth immigrant people in this country? In that connection, will he undertake to look at the amnesty provisions which have been carried out in France and the amnesty policy which has been carried out in West Germany, with regard to workers who have come in illegally and eventually have settled? As the Head of the Government, will he personally assure the House and the country that he will do everything he can to relieve the anxiety among the coloured portion of communities in this country?
§ The Prime MinisterThe House debated this matter on Tuesday and my right hon. Friend, the Home Secretary, explained the Government's position very clearly. I have had discussions about this policy with my colleagues frequently since the House of Lords decision. It was not retrospective, since at the time that the immigrants entered they were illegal and they are still here illegally. But the Home Secretary has assured the House that we shall deal with this matter with understanding.
§ Mr. FowlerDoes my right hon. Friend agree that it is essential that our concern should be for better community relations and that nothing can do more harm to good community relations in this country than illegal immigration?
§ The Prime MinisterYes, Sir, I think that this is so. My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary has said that it is right that where there are particularly compassionate reasons he will take note of those in the case of immigrants who are here illegally. But we want good community relations and one has to think of the impact on those immigrants who came here legally, those who are waiting to come and who know that they have a right to come, and those who are not immigrants here and believe that the position can be abused by illegal immigration. To have good community relations one has to consider all three groups.
§ Mr. Clinton DavisWhat discussions did the Prime Minister or the Home Office have on this issue with Sir Geoffrey Wilson, Chairman of the Race Relations Board, or with Mr. Mark Bonham Carter, Chairman of the Community Relations Commission? Does not the right hon. Gentleman think that theirs are views worth taking into account, and is he aware that both those gentlemen, speaking with great authority in this sphere, have expressed their condemnation of the Government's policy?
§ The Prime MinisterI am well aware of that, but I am afraid that I completely disagree with them. In my view, they are taking into account only one aspect of this very difficult problem, and I consider that they have a responsibility also to take the other aspects into account.