HC Deb 23 June 1988 vol 135 cc1255-8
3. Mr. Jack

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received on the effect of the imposition of visas on visitors to the United Kingdom from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Ghana, and Nigeria upon the operations of the immigration service; and if he will make a statement.

5. Mr. Irvine

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received on the effect of the imposition of visas on visitors to the United Kingdom from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Ghana, and Nigeria upon the operations of the immigration service; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Renton

The House will be pleased to know that the position at the airports has been transformed. Congestion in terminal buildings has been eased and delays reduced. That has improved conditions for passengers, for relatives and friends meeting them, and for staff. The total number of persons refused entry has dropped from about 24,000 in 1986 to just over 19,000 in 1987. Difficult casework has been much reduced. Without the visa imposition, and with a 13 per cent. increase in passenger traffic in 1987, the pressure on the principal terminals dealing with passengers from the five countries would have been impossible.

Mr. Jack

I thank my hon. Friend for his full and reassuring answer. Has the imposition of visas been welcomed on the Indian sub-continent?

Mr. Renton

I saw our commissioner in Delhi only yesterday and he told me that, although there is some concern about the recent increase in settlement fees, Indians are pleased—now that the system is well established—that they can establish in advance of their journey whether they qualify for entry here. Those who come here often are pleased that they can get a multi-entry visa, and 90 per cent. of applications are processed within 24 hours of receipt.

Mr. Irvine

My hon. Friend will be aware of recent articles in the national press that have exposed the existence of illegal networks smuggling immigrants into this country, particularly through East Anglian ports such as Ipswich and Felixstowe. Will my hon. Friend make use of the welcome reduction of pressure on the immigration service to put still greater effort into the task of eliminating such criminal networks and detecting illegal entrants?

Mr. Renton

I assure my hon. Friend that the passage quoted in the press was a rather purple one. The figures for immigrants entering that way do not tally with figures in our immigration and nationality department.

On my hon. Friend"s second point, I can give him the comfort that he seeks. More staff will be available for enforcement work, which is important. In 1987, a total of 2,200 illegal entrants were traced compared with 1,582 the previous year.

Mr. Vaz

Bearing in mind the revelations in The Guardian this week that Home Office officials were keeping information from the Minister about asylum seekers, what assurance can he give that the information that he has just given is accurate? Is it not the reality that hon. Members with large amounts of immigration casework are receiving information from their constituents that single relatives seeking entry are refused permission?

Does the Minister accept the spirit of the words of early-day motion 996, signed by 81 hon. Members? Will he immediately initiate a public inquiry into his chaotic Department?

Mr. Renton

I always thank the hon. Gentleman for his kind concern about my welfare. I assure him that all the information mentioned inaccurately in The Guardian has regularly been seen by me on a weekly basis.

On the hon. Gentleman"s other point, because of the introduction of changes in the immigration rules, which the Opposition voted against earlier this year, we are now managing to deal with some of the backlog of cases in Lunar house. A great deal of work still has to be done, but it does mean that those arriving here with, for example, difficult entry cases, will be dealt with more quickly than in the past.

Mr. James Lamond

Does the Minister agree that when a visitor"s visa has been refused and an appeal has been lodged, the applicant is frequently told that inquiries must be made, presumably by the Home Office? Lengthy delays occur, sometimes of more than a year. Indeed, did not the ombudsman point that out to the Minister following a case that I had referred to him and which he upheld? Will the Minister ensure that something is done to speed up inquiries in such cases?

Mr. Renton

I agree with the hon. Gentleman, and that is why we introduced the rule changes earlier this year. I fail to understand why the Opposition voted against them.

Mr. Budgen

Is my hon. Friend aware that those rule changes have been accepted, and even welcomed, by the large Asian community in Wolverhampton? Will he explain why the Government still insist that the taxpayer and the ratepayer employ the race relations industry, whose principal duty seems to be to complain frequently about any Government measures on immigration or race relations?

Mr. Renton

I thank my hon. Friend for his support, which is always welcome. I am never sure when I will have it, but it is nice to receive it.

The new chairman of the CRE is a well-respected figure. We keep close control of the money provided by the taxpayer for the United Kingdom immigration advisory service. It is right that there should be such a service to help with immigration cases, but I assure my hon. Friend that we keep a close eye on the budget.

Mr. Randall

How does the Minister justify having insufficient staff to enter data into the Home Office computer that produces statistics on the fate of asylum-seekers refused entry to Britain? Is it because the Government really are doing a cover-up job, as suggested by The Guardian this week? Or is it another example of the gross incompetence of that part of the Home Office, as has been demonstrated by the shambles at Lunar house and the crisis at the passport office?

Mr. Renton

The hon. Gentleman would know, if he had mastered his immigration brief better in the year in which he has been——

Mr. Randall

Answer the question.

Mr. Renton

I am answering it. If the hon. Gentleman will keep quiet for a second, I shall tell him about the port returns. The port returns, of which he has evidently obtained a copy, show only immediate action taken. They may well be inaccurate one week or even one day later, because of subsequent action. I suggest to the hon. Gentleman, in my most helpful way, that he obtains his information from me rather than from leaked documents reported in The Guardian.