§ Mr. Canavanasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average time taken in dealing with appeals by people who have been refused permission to enter the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. RaisonIt is not possible to give a meaningful average time. The appeals of persons holding entry clearances or work permits, who have a right of appeal before removal from the United Kingdom, may be heard within a few days. The appeals of persons refused leave to enter at a port or airport in other circumstances are exercised from abroad and are normally determined within a few weeks of receipt if a hearing is not sought, but may take anything from four to 12 months, depending on the location of the appeal centre, if a hearing is requested. Appeals from persons refused entry clearance before setting out on their journey may take six months longer or more, because of the extra time needed in those cases to prepare the explanatory statement of the reasons for refusal. These are rough estimates and there are wide variations in individual cases.