§ 64. Mr. Montgomeryasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is aware of the delay in passing through immigration control experienced by passengers arriving in Newcastle from Denmark on board the "Parkeston"; and what plans he has to combat this delay.
§ Mr. R. A. ButlerI do not think that, in general, the time taken by the immigration control to clear passengers arriving at Newcastle from Denmark on the "Parkeston" is unreasonable. As it is not practicable to board the ship at the mouth of the Tyne, the clearance time could be reduced only by "on passage" working from Esbjerg or the deployment of additional immigration officers. The volume of traffic does not justify these steps.