HL Deb 11 March 1970 vol 308 cc800-3

2.45 p.m.

LORD O'HAGAN

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 when, since they are parties to the United Nations Convention on Statelessness, they propose to alter their treatment of Kenyans of Asian origin, since their present policy creates a group of United Kingdom citizens who are de facto stateless.]

THE MINISTER OF STATE, FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE (LORD SHEPHERD)

My Lords, the members of the community to whom the noble Lord refers are not stateless and it only adds to anxiety to suggest, in your Lordships' House, that they are. During the last five years some 50,000 members of this community have been admitted to the United Kingdom for settlement. The system of control introduced under the Commonwealth Immigrants Act 1968 requires these United Kingdom passport holders to wait their turn for admission to the United Kingdom in accordance with a system of priorities which takes account both of their needs and of our capacity to absorb them.

LORD O'HAGAN

My Lords, while thanking the Minister for that reply, may I ask him whether Her Majesty's Government recognise that recent developments in Kenya have made the Commonwealth Immigrants Act 1968 even more unfair than it was before? Further, will the noble Lord give an assurance that these British subjects will not be condemned to flying around the world, like boomerangs in perpetual motion?

LORD SHEPHERD

My Lords, I am well aware of the anxiety in Kenya. But those who are now "flying around", as the noble Lord says, are, in the main, those who are under no direct pressure to leave Kenya and are, in fact, jumping ahead of people who have willingly undertaken to remain in the queue in Kenya.

LORD O'HAGAN

My Lords, arising out of that reply, may I ask the noble Lord whether he is surprised that some of these people should jump the orderly queue when they have no faith that their turn will ever be reached? And can Her Majesty's Government re-allocate some of the spare work vouchers, or increase the basic quota of heads of households, especially in view of the amazing decline in the number of new Commonwealth immigrants coming to this country?

LORD SHEPHERD

My Lords, so far as those who are, as I say, jumping the queue are concerned, I am quite certain that Parliament and the country would wish us to take the view that they should not jump ahead of those who remain in Kenya despite their anxieties but recognise that there must be an orderly flow of their community into this country. As regards work vouchers, all Common- wealth countries are entitled to some 300 A class work permits, and, as I have said on a previous occasion, very few have in fact been taken up. Information is available in Kenya, and I would hope that those who fall within this class would make use of this particular allocation.

LORD BYERS

My Lords, may I ask the noble Lord a question on that point? The noble Lord, Lord Beswick, in an answer to me on February 10, mentioned that of the 300 extra permits which were available only nine had been taken up; yet in the Press and on the radio we are continuously told that there is a long waiting list. What is the reason for this? Is there any machinery here for notifying the people that vacancies exist? Is there any category which covers the Asian who has sufficient money to come here, but has not necessarily a manual craft to declare?

LORD SHEPHERD

My Lords, my noble friend was referring to the number of A class vouchers. I have not found other members of the Commonwealth who use this class of voucher, which depends upon an employer being avail-able in this country, experiencing difficulty in finding work or jobs available here, or employers willing to take them up. In the main, this is undertaken by their own community in this country informing them of vacancies. Our own High Commissioners are advising suitable candidates for these vouchers as to the ways and means of obtaining such a voucher.

LORD BYERS

My Lords, why does the noble Lord think that only nine out of 300 vouchers have been taken up? There must be some explanation.

LORD SHEPHERD

My Lords, I have asked this particular question myself and I have not been given an answer.

LORD BYERS

Neither have I.

LORD SHEPHERD

My Lords, I think it may be due to the fact that many of the Asians who are now trying to enter this country from Kenya do not come within the manufacturing classes. This may be a factor. But certainly, through our High Commissioners, we are making this facility known to all the applicants who we think fall within this particular class. In regard to those who have money, if they are in a position to sustain themselves here without taking employment, then they can come into this country outside the limit of 1,500 vouchers.