§ Captain W. BENNasked the Home Secretary [on Thursday, 9th March] whether, seeing that of 294,569 aliens who landed at British ports during the 12 months ended 31st December last only 1,712 were refused permission to enter the country, and that the cost of rejecting these aliens was £58 per head, he proposes to take any action to reduce this burdensome expenditure?
§ Mr. SHORTThas furnished the following particulars:
The effect of the control of alien immigration cannot be measured by the mere numbers of refusals of leave to land. But oven those numbers have a greater significance than the hon. and gallant Member's question would indicate. They represent a considerable percentage of the figure left after separating various classes of passengers not likely to be refused leave to land, such as 60,252 residents returning, 28,947 in transit to other countries, 107,310 visitors on holiday, etc., 66,789 business visitors, 13,752 seamen either under contract to join ships in British waters or returning to domicile, 6,584 diplomats or persons on Government missions, and 3,007 holding Ministry of Labour permits under Article 1 (3) (b) of the Aliens Order. The balance, who could not be placed in any of the foregoing categories, is 7,928. If the 1,712 who were refused leave to land are added to this 7,928, a total is reached of 9,640, of whom 1,712, or some 17 per cent, were refused. But the deterrent effect of this system of control is infinitely wider and saves this country from the incursion of many thousands of aliens whose presence here would cost the country, in various ways, far more than the total cost of the immigration staff.