HC Deb 03 July 1984 vol 63 cc131-2
2. Mr. Ashby

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what action has been taken about the corrupt issuing of work permits by officials of his Department.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Employment (Mr. Alan Clark)

The Director of Public Prosecutions has recently decided that there is no adequate basis for proceedings against any official of my Department. Following this, an internal investigation has been started to establish whether further procedural safeguards are needed to supplement those already introduced since these matters first came to light in 1982.

Mr. Ashby

I thank my hon. Friend for that answer. Is he aware that the investigation was carried out by the most junior police officer that one could find? Is my hon. Friend really satisfied that these matters have been fully and properly investigated? Does he think that the decision by the Director of Public Prosecutions was based on evidence obtained by police officers who did not have the will to investigate the matter properly?

Mr. Clark

I have read the transcript of the trial. I understand some of the points that my hon. Friend has implied, although I certainly would not endorse the tone of his question. My Department co-operated fully with the police in this matter. I am not responsible for the vigour with which the police pursue their investigations or the level at which they conduct them—those are matters for my right hon. and learned Friend the Home Secretary.

Mr. Ron Brown

Is it fair that Mark Fiora and Brett Saunders have been denied work permits and prevented from riding for the Monarchs, the famous Edinburgh speedway team?

Mr. Clark

The hon. Gentleman has made great headway on these cases, and he knows very well that I have done my best to help him. The fact remains that speedway riders in that category of competition do not earn sufficient money to support themselves simply by speedway riding. It is generally recognised that they take odd jobs and perform casual labour, to the detriment of the prospects of the domestic work force, and, for that reason, their permits are refused.

Mr. Dickens

Is my hon. Friend aware that Reuben Davis was earning £50,000 per year from illegal immigration into this country—£8,000 a time for a work permit from the Department? Is my hon. Friend also aware that in 1975 Alex Lyon, then the Minister of State, Home Office, warned the right hon. Member for Glasgow, Hillhead (Mr. Jenkins), then the Home Secretary, of what was going on in his Department and that there seems to have been a glorious cover-up? Does my hon. Friend understand that Back Benchers will not tolerate the kind of cover-up that we have seen in the Civil Service?

Mr. Clark

I always welcome my hon. Friend's robust interventions. I am sure that the whole House appreciates the manner in which he sets himself up as a watchdog on this type of subject. I have no knowledge of Reuben Davis's earnings, whether legal or illegal. As I said earlier, an investigation is under way. I hope that the report will be to hand by the end of the month. If my hon. Friend attends the next Employment Question Time on 2 August, he will be able to ask me about the subject again.