Immigration

HC Deb 03 December 1979 vol 975 cc10-2W

Mr. Marlow

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what powers the immigration service has concerning security at ports and airports.

Mr. Raison

Immigration officers act in accordance with powers contained in the Immigration Act 1971. They also have certain powers derived from the Prevention of Terrorism (Supplemental Temporary Provisions) Order 1976, as amended.

Mr. Marlow

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many unmarried men of marriageable age have come to the United Kingdom from the Indian sub-continent to settle since 1 January 1973 (a) with the purpose of marriage and (b) for other purposes.

Mr. Raison

Admissions of men for marriage and total admissions analysed by citizenship/nationality are published annually in the Command Paper "Control of Immigration: Statistics" (tables 1 and 9(a) of the issue for 1978, Cmnd. 7565). Information is not available by age, or, in the case of total admissions, by sex or marital status.

Dr. Summerskill

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what nationalities were the 356 foreign-born husbands who were refused permission to enter or remain on the basis of marriage to a woman settled in the United Kingdom in the two years ending 31 March 1979.

Mr. Raison

The available information is as follows:

Commonwealth citizens
Australia	…	…	…	…	2
Bangladesh	…	…	…	…	5
Cyprus	…	…	…	…	8
Ghana	…	…	…	…	3
Hong Kong	…	…	…	…	2
India	…	…	…	…	112
Jamaica	…	…	…	…	4
Kenya	…	…	…	…	1
Malta	…	…	…	…	1
Mauritius	…	…	…	…	6
Nigeria	…	…	…	…	5
Sierra Leone	…	…	…	…	3
Singapore	…	…	…	…	1
Sri Lanka	…	…	…	…	8
Tanzania	…	…	…	…	2
Trinidad	…	…	…	…	1
Zambia	…	…	…	…	2
Total	166

Foreign nationals
Algeria	…	…	…	…	3
Brazil	…	…	…	…	2
Egypt	…	…	…	…	66
Greece	…	…	…	…	3
Indonesia	…	…	…	…	1
Iran	…	…	…	…	25
Iraq	…	…	…	…	2
Israel	…	…	…	…	5
Jordan	…	…	…	…	2
Lebanon	…	…	…	…	2
Morocco	…	…	…	…	12
Norway	…	…	…	…	1
Pakistan	…	…	…	…	3
Philippines	…	…	…	…	1
Portugal	…	…	…	…	2
Somali	…	…	…	…	4
South Africa	…	…	…	…	1
Spain	…	…	…	…	1
Syria	…	…	…	…	5
Thailand	…	…	…	…	3
Tunisia	…	…	…	…	1
Turkey	…	…	…	…	23
USA	…	…	…	…	2
Yemen	…	…	…	…	2
Yugoslavia	…	…	…	…	2
East European	…	…	…	…	16
				Total	190

Mr. Flannery

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will consider in detail a scheme for providing the families of excludees with financial assistance.

Mr. Whitelaw

I have considered carefully the arguments for such a scheme and have concluded that the provision of assistance to the families of excluded persons would not be justified.

Mr. Dubs

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many elderly persons over 65 years were admitted for settlement from the Asian sub-continent between May and the present time.

Mr. Whitelaw

The information requested could be made available only at disproportionate cost.

Mr. John Home Robertson

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give an estimate as to how many women, born to British parents overseas, would face discrimination under the proposed new legislation on immigration and nationality.

Mr. Raison

I do not accept the hon. Member's assumption. I cannot give a reliable estimate of the number of women born to British parents overseas.