HL Deb 24 October 1967 vol 285 cc1516-8

2.33 p.m.

LORD ELTON

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

[The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they can confirm the accuracy of statements in the Press to the effect that, in addition to the present net annual intake of 50,000 Commonwealth immigrants per annum, up to 100,000 Indians from Kenya may shortly be expected to come to settle in this country.]

LORD BESWICK

My Lords, the noble Lord asks if it is possible to confirm the accuracy of certain Press statements. The answer is, No, my Lords.

LORD ELTON

My Lords, may I ask the noble Lord a couple of further questions, in order to try to elucidate this matter which is, after all, an important question on which the House has the right to information? Is it not owing to a wholly unintentional gap in our legislation that at present Asians in Kenya are able to obtain United Kingdom passports which exempt them from control under the Commonwealth Immigrations Act? Seeing that we have over 500,000 unemployed, and a number of insoluble problems arising from immigration policy, would it not be in the interests of our present population, both native and immigrant, to close this unintentional gap and in the meantime to instruct High Commissioners to issue United Kingdom passports only in exceptional circumstances?

LORD BESWICK

My Lords, I agree with the noble Lord that this is an important problem. It is also a difficult problem, and a complex one, both to the countries and to the individuals concerned. But I really do not feel that it would be useful, either to the countries or to the individuals, if I were to speculate on the result of what the noble Lord has referred to as an unintentional gap in our legislation. It is a matter with which Her Majesty's Government are very concerned at the present time, and I have nothing further to add to what I have already said.

LORD BLYTON

My Lords, is my noble friend aware that if we are to face another humiliation in the Common Market, we should try to keep the Commonwealth with us, rather than carry on in this way, because we may need them in the near future?

LORD BROOKE OF CUMNOR

My Lords, while the noble Lord said that he cannot confirm statements in the Press, can he give an estimate of the number of Asians in Kenya who appear to have the right to enter this country without restriction?

LORD BESWICK

My Lords, there are possibly in Kenya something of the order of 200,000 people who hold United Kingdom passports and who are exempt from the control of the Act to which the noble Lord referred. How many of those would wish to try to enter this country I cannot, of course, estimate.

LORD MOLSON

My Lords, in view of the obvious injustice of this difference between the rights of Asians in Asia and Asians who happen to be resident in East Africa—something which indeed was not contemplated when legislation was passed in this country—would the noble Lord say whether it is possible to do anything about this anomaly without the passing of additional legislation?

LORD BESWICK

My Lords, I am not sure that it is quite right to describe this as an anomaly. It is an historical fact that there are these people holding United Kingdom passports who do not hold any passport from, and have no citizenship rights of, any other country. It is not a simple problem to deal with, nor, as I have said, do I think it helpful to the people concerned to speculate upon it at the present time.

LORD MOLSON

My Lords, would the noble Lord be good enough to answer the question which I asked? In order to deal with this matter, is it necessary for legislation to be passed, or would it be possible for the Government to take steps by order or by administrative action under the existing law? Would it be necessary for fresh legislation to be passed for this matter to be dealt with?

LORD BESWICK

My Lords, it would depend upon what the Government wished to do; it would depend upon the objective which they wished to secure. This is one of the matters which is under consideration at the present time.

LORD ROWLEY

My Lords, while I agree with my noble friend that it would be unwise to speculate as to numbers, can he assure the House that there will be no possibility of large numbers coming in without a check being taken at the ports of entry so that as time goes on we should know how many are in fact coming from Kenya to this country?

LORD BESWICK

Yes, my Lords; there will be a check.