§ Mr. Cyril Smithasked the Lord Privy Seal what is the present average waiting time between an application being made and being dealt with, for admission to the United Kingdom by persons applying for entry at the Islamabad embassy, Pakistan; and how many staff are employed now, and were employed in June 1977 and June 1979, to deal with such applications in Islamabad, Pakistan.
§ Mr. LuceApplicants for entry clearance in Islamabad wait from two months to two years for interview, according to the priority category of their application. The United Kingdom-based staff in the immigration section of the embassy in Islamabad number 28, of whom 18 are entry clearance officers. The section had the same complement in June 1977 and June 1979.