§ Mr. Lawsonasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why the 166W White Paper, Immigration Statistics 1975, Command Paper No. 6064, published in May 1975, did not draw attention to the fact that the annual net balance figures given in Table 2(a) differed materially from the sum of the officially published quarterly net balance figures for the same year.
§ Mr. Roy JenkinsThe published figures are of admissions, for all purposes, and embarkations. I regret that a note was not added to Table 2(a) of Cmnd. 6064 explaining that the annual embarkation figures for 1974 had been adjusted to take account of the estimated effect of some double counting.
§ Mr. Lawsonasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what were the numbers of people from the New Commonwealth, including Pakistan, (a) admitted for settlement in the United Kingdom and (b) accepted for settlement in the United Kingdom by revocation of conditions, in 1969 and each subsequent year, the figures for 1975 being estimated on the basis of the latest available monthly totals calculated at an annual rate.
§ Mr. Alexander W. LyonThe information is as follows:
CITIZENS OF COUNTRIES OF THE NEW COMMONWEALTH AND OF PAKISTAN ACCEPTED FOR SETTLEMENT ON ARRIVAL AND BY REVOCATION OF CONDITIONS Acceptances for settlement on arrival Acceptances for settlement by revocation Totals 1969 … 40,191 4,312 44,503 1970 … 33,401 4,492 37,893 1971 … 35,175 9,086 44,261 1972 … 59,850 8,669 68,519 1973 … 25,530 6,717 32,247 1974 … 25,306 17,225 42,531 1975 … 35,000* 18,000* 53,000* *Estimates.
§ Mr. Lawsonasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is satisfied that no significant clerical error affected any of the figures published in Table 1 of the 1972 Commonwealth immigration statistics, Command Paper No. 5285, or in the comparable figures for any of the three preceding years; and, if not, if he will publish the appropriate corrections.
§ Mr. Roy JenkinsI have no reason to believe that the figures for 1972 and the 167W preceding years were affected by clerical error.
§ Mr. Lawsonasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the estimated net balance for 1973 of 86,000 referred to in his Written Answer of 7th November 1975, Official Report, column 352, includes holders of Pakistani passports for the whole year or for the first eight months only; and, in the latter event, what would be the corresponding figure if holders of Pakistani passports were included for the whole year.
§ Mr. Roy JenkinsThe estimated net balance for 1973 of 86,000 takes account of Pakistani passport holders who arrived in or embarked from the United Kingdom during the period 1st January 1973 to 31st August 1973. An estimate of the net balance relating to New Commonwealth citizens and Pakistani passport holders for the calendar year 1973 is also 86,000 because in the last third of that year the figures for the arrivals and departures of Pakistani passport holders show them as being almost exactly in balance.
§ Mr. Lawsonasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much of the estimated net balance for 1973 of 86,000 referred to by the Secretary of State for the Home Department in his Written Answer of 7th November 1975, Official Report, column 352, represents United Kingdom passport holders.
§ Mr. Roy JenkinsOf the estimated 86,000 net balance of movements for 1973 relating to New Commonwealth citizens, United Kingdom passport holders account for 15,000.
§ Mr. Lawsonasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people from the New Commonwealth, including Pakistan at present in the United Kingdom on a temporary basis, have applied either for a relaxation or a revocation of their conditions of entry; how many in each of these two categories have appealed against a refusal by the Home Office either to vary or remove their conditions of stay and are at present awaiting the outcome of their appeals; and what is the present average length of time between the lodging of any such appeal under the official 168W appeals procedure and the appeal being heard and its outcome made known.
§ Mr. Roy JenkinsThe information requested in the first part of the Question is not available, nor would it be possible without disproportionate effort to ascertain how many applicants from the New Commonwealth and Pakistan are currently awaiting the outcome of appeals against a refusal to vary or revoke their conditions of stay. 2,193 such appeals by Commonwealth citizens generally—excluding Pakistanis—were outstanding on 30th November last. The average length of time taken to determine such appeals is from five to six months.
§ Mr. Parkerasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how the error occurred which resulted in double counting of embarkations from London airport in 1973; and what steps he is taking to avoid a repetition.
§ Mr. Roy JenkinsA change was made on the coming into force on 1st January 1973 of the Immigration Act 1971, by which the embarkation of certain Commonwealth citizens was recorded on two different cards. As a result of a misunderstanding at that time both sets of cards were counted in arriving at the total of embarkations. This double counting continued for about 18 months. The two-card arrangement was ended early in 1975. The estimated embarkation figures published for the year 1974 in May 1975 were, to the best of my belief, correct. The process of correcting those for 1973 was not completed until October 1975. The corrected net balance figure relating to New Commonwealth citizens for 1973 was given on 7th November 1975.
I think it right that the circumstances in which this error occurred should be looked into from outside the Home Office. I have, therefore, asked Sir Claus Moser, the Director of the Central Statistical Office, to inquire fully and quickly into the matter, and to report to me, so that all necessary lessons can be learned from the mistake.