§ Mr. Skeetasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how he proposes to ensure that Ugandan Asian immigrants do not go to the so-called red areas.
§ Mr. LaneI would refer my hon. Friend to the statement that my right hon. Friend made to the House on 18th October.
§ Mr. Skeetasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of Ugandan immigrants have found accommodation outside Government centres in London, Birmingham, Leicester and other areas to which Asians have in recent years tended to migrate.
§ Mr. LaneThe latest information suggested that rather more than 30 per cent. of the refugees from Uganda who had come to this country had gone to the greater London area, rather less than 2 per cent. to Birmingham and rather less than 6 per cent. to Leicester. No other place appeared to have received more than 1 per cent. These figures are based on the notifications that individual refugees gave to the Uganda Resettlement Board about their intentions.
§ Mr. Skeetasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the number of Uganda Asians who have been scheduled to move to Bedford; and what provision has been made from central funds for their welfare, accommodation and education.
§ Mr. LaneThe Uganda Resettlement Board aims to resettle the refugees within the community as quickly as possible, but there is no question of quotas for particular areas. The board has been authorised to make grants to local authorities in respect of additional expenditure incurred as a direct result of the resettlement of the refugees.
§ Mr. Skeetasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the number, location and capacity of accommodation centres set aside for Uganda Asians in the United Kingdom, and the number of immigrants at present residing in every site.
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§ Mr. LaneThe number of refugees accommodated at the 13 resettlement centres in operation on 23rd October was as follows:
Faldingworth (Lincs.) 396 Greenham Common (Berks.) 1,475 Heathfield (Devon) 1,066 Hemswell (Lincs.) 824 Hobbs Barracks (Surrey) 504 Houndstone (Somerset) 917 Kensington (London) 240 Maresfield (Sussex) 370 Piddlehinton (Dorset) 417 Plasterdown (Devon) 623 Stradishall (West Suffolk) 1,366 Tonfanau (Merioneth) 1,185 West Malling (Kent) 720 It is not possible to give precise figures for the capacity of each centre since this depends on exactly how the buildings are used.
§ Mr. Skeetasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, of the total number of Asians that have recently arrived in the United Kingdom, what percentage have found their own accommodation with relatives and friends; and what is the number that reside in accommodation centres.
§ Mr. LaneUp to 23rd October 18,555 refugees from Uganda had been admitted to this country. 10,103 of them were accommodated in the Uganda Resettlement Board's resettlement centres on that day. The great majority of the remainder made their own private arrangements, either from the outset or after spending some time at a centre.