HC Deb 12 June 1980 vol 986 cc274-6W
Mr. Best

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish a list of the camps through which Vietnamese refugees pass in the United Kingdom, giving for each one (a) the average stay before permanent rehousing and (b) the maximum stay before permanent rehousing.

Mr. Raison

I understand from the joint committee for refugees from Vietnam that on 1 May there were reception centres operated by the British Council for aid to refugees (BCAR), the Ockenden venture (OV) and the Save the Children Fund (SCF) at the following locations :

BCAR

Chepstow, Gwent

Hythe, Kent

Sopley, Hants

Thorney Island, West Sussex

OV

Ambleside, Cumbria

Barmouth, Gwynedd

Bridport, Dorset

Cullercoats, N. Tyneside

Dewsbury, N. Yorks

Exmouth, Devon

Gosport, Hants

Harrogate, N. Yorks

Haslemere, Surrey

Hindhead, Surrey

Manchester

Nelson Hall, Staffs

Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland

Wetherby, N. Yorks

Woking, Surrey

Wolverhampton, West Midlands

SCF

Bingley, N. Yorks

Bishop's Stortford, Herts

Breadsall, Derbyshire

Carnwath, Strathclyde

Edinburgh, Lothian

Hothfield, Kent

Hounslow, London

Ipswich, Suffolk

Kirkby Moorside, N. Yorks

Morton Hall, Lines

Pontefract, N. Yorks

Solihull, West Midlands

Watton, Norfolk

Wishaw, Lanarkshire

Information about length of stay is not readily available in the form requested. The following table shows the length of stay of the 2,212 refugees resettled into permanent housing by the three voluntary agencies in the period 1 January—30 April 1980:

Voluntary body operating centres Up to 2 months 2–3 months 3–4 months 4–5 months 5–6 months 6–8 months 8–10 months Over 10 months Average length of stay in months
British Council for Aid to Refugees … … … 123 65 184 142 156 68 20 30 4.5
Ockenden Venture … … … 60 61 185 129 97 50 37 2 4.4
Save the Children Fund … … … 41 189 198 154 134 82 5 — 4.1
All Agencies … … … 224 315 567 425 387 200 62 32 4.3
(Percentage) … … … 10.1 14.2 25.6 19.2 17.5 9.0 2.8 1.4