HC Deb 18 November 1976 vol 919 cc1541-2
2. Mr. Dudley Smith

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will now propose some new initiatives to reduce drastically the number of immigrants entering Great Britain illegally.

23. Mr. Townsend

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what new measures he is taking to prevent illegal immigration into Great Britain.

The Secretary of State for the Home Department (Mr. Merlyn Rees)

The Immigration Service and the police are fully aware of the need to combat illegal entry. Both have established special units to counter this, and there is close cooperation with the authorities in neighbouring countries. While I am satisfied that all practicable and reasonable measures for countering illegal entry are taken, these measures and the resources devoted to them are kept under review.

Mr. Smith

In spite of that, is it not a fact that the scale of illegal immigration to this country is increasing? While I realise that it was the fault of the right hon. Gentleman's predecessor, may I ask why something more positive was not done by the Home Office? Was it really a question of incompetence, or was it rather the fact that for political considerations the Government have decided to turn a blind eye to this question?

Mr. Rees

There is no question of turning a blind eye to illegal entry. The hon. Gentleman talks about the scale of it. The way he talks is not in accordance with the advice I am given. He should be careful not to confuse illegal entry, which is a term of art in immigration, with the problem of overstaying in this country, which is a different matter. He is very wrong to talk about a lack of resources directed to illegal entry.

Mr. Clemitson

What steps is my right hon. Friend taking to improve interview procedures so that people who have a genuine right to enter the United Kingdom are not refused entry?

Mr. Rees

The interviewing takes place either here or in the country of origin. My hon. Friend will find that I have something to say in reply to a later Question about steps taken abroad. When people arrive here, if their documentation is weak the situation is extremely difficult, which is one of the reasons why it is very much better to interview before arrival at the port of entry.

Mr. Budgen

Would the Home Secretary agree that the problem of overstaying is at least as great as that of illegal entry, and, indeed, may be greater? What proposals has he for dealing with this problem? In particular, has he any proposal for changing the law so as to enable immigration officials to require visitors from the Commonwealth to register with the police while they are lawfully here?

Mr. Rees

I certainly have not put my mind to that last point, but I recall that we considered it when I was a junior Minister in the Department. The first step is the control on entry, which marks us as different from Europe and the methods used there. I should not like to see, after that point, agents checking and checking in the way that the hon. Gentleman suggests, as is done in many parts of the Continent. I am concerned about the problem of overstaying, because it fuels many of the arguments that are used by people who have different arguments to put. We shall do anything we can in that direction, but I shall not turn to a European system of checking.