HL Deb 17 November 1982 vol 436 cc528-30

3 p.m.

Lord Gladwyn

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 how many Iranians have been deported back to Iran between 1st January and 1st October 1982, and whether, given that the Govenment apparently agree that Iranians who can be shown to be on a "special visit" will be treated sympathetically, it will now be possible to make it clearer to which individual cases this policy is likely to apply.

Lord Glenarthur

My Lords, 28 Iranians have been deported from the United Kingdom between 1st January and 30th Spetember 1982; I regret that it is not possible to say in how many of these cases the removal directions specified return to Iran. All decisions to deport are kept under review and reconsidered before departure is enforced.

My right honourable friend the Secretary of State has said that applications from Iranian nationals who express a fear of return will be considered sympathetically and that, where the grant of asylum is considered inappropriate and the applicant does not otherwise qualify to remain, the granting of leave to remain exceptionally to the immigration rules will be considered. But my right honourable friend is not persuaded that it would be right to allow all Iranians to remain in this country regardless of their circumstances. Every case is considered on its individual merits.

Lord Gladwyn

My Lords, I thank the Minister for that fairly satisfactory reply. May I, however, ask him whether the Government agree that almost any Iranian who returns now to his country after a reasonably long period in this country may be in some danger of being judicially murdered by the existing Government on the grounds that he is doubtfully Islamic in his outlook? Will not therefore the Government at least see to it that the existing regulations can be stretched as far as possible so as to avoid adding to the already long list of assassinations by the Ayatollah Khomeini?

Lord Glenarthur

My Lords, the Government are fully aware of the problems associated with returning Iranians to Iran. The noble Lord may like to know that since 1st January 1979 some 5,000 Iranians have expressed a fear to return to Iran; 3,800 have been granted asylum and 63 have been granted exceptional leave to remain. Six hundred and forty-four applications have been refused and the remainder have either been withdrawn or are still under consideration.

Lord Glenkinglas

My Lords, will my noble friend bear in mind that out of my limited experience—having spent a number of years in Iran trying to promote agriculture there—every single person with whom I dealt, minister, civil servant or others, has been murdered? Will he please encourage the Government to avoid sending anybody back who is in that danger?

Lord Glenarthur

My Lords, I am sure that my right honourable friend the Secretary of State will take careful note of what the noble Lord has said. The Government work very much, as will be understood, in the principle that not every case is the same and that individual cases must be treated on their merits. There is no exceptional evidence to suggest that people are always being murdered when they go back to Iran.

Lord Elwyn-Jones

My Lords, can the noble Lord say what has been the fate of those who have been sent back? Is there information available about that?

Lord Glenarthur

My Lords, no. Nothing particular is known about their fate. Despite repeated allegations that some of those deported were executed or imprisoned upon arrival in Iran, my right honourable friend the Secretary of State has been unable to establish that such was the case. Certain names have been provided and these have been identified from Home Office records. But in no case where the person involved is alleged to have come to harm was deportation or enforced departure actually involved.

Lord Winstanley

My Lords, is the noble Lord in a position to tell the House whether any of the 28 who were deported were refugees within the definition of Article 1 of the United Nations convention?

Lord Glenarthur

No, my Lords. I am afraid that I am not able to give that information, but I shall be happy to find out and write to the noble Lord about it.