§ 1. Mr. Biggs-Davisonasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will consider legislation to ensure that registration as citizens of the United Kingdom and colonies of persons hostile to the Crown and constitution of the United Kingdom does not take place.
§ The Secretary of State for the Home Department (Mr. Robert Carr)The new provisions for registration, introduced from 1st January 1973 by the Immigration Act 1971, give me adequate powers to withhold citizenship where I consider this is the proper course. But the Act preserved the entitlement to registration of Commonwealth citizens already settled here prior to that date.
§ Mr. Biggs-DavisonWill my right hon. Friend assure the House that there will be no danger of a repetition of the astonishing case of Mr. Tariq Ali, who has offered favourable consideration from 1146 his organisation to shelter Irish Republican Army bombers and who has admitted without denial that he took the oath of allegiance in bad faith without believing in it? Will my right hon. Friend assure the House that there will be no registration of Commonwealth citizens of that kind?
§ Mr. CarrNo. I am satisfied that those who have settled here since the beginning of the new Act can have registration withheld from them at the discretion of the Home Secretary. That was not possible in relation to those settled here before that date. We have, however, put the law right for the future.
§ Mr. SorefIs it not a fact that there are 50 terrorist or revolutionary organisations with offices in London? What is being done to prevent further recruitment? Is it not true that there are discussions to bring to this country from Chile 200 Marxist mercenaries who originate in other South American countries which do not want them? Could they not be sent back to Cuba rather than brought to this country?
§ Mr. CarrAlthough those are important matters, they do not arise in relation to the registration of Commonwealth citizens.