§ Mr. John Grantasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for citizenship were received by his Department for each quarter since May 1979; what was the average time taken in such cases before a decision was reached in the United Kingdom as a whole and in the London area, respectively; how many staff were engaged in this work in May 1979, May 1980 and March 1981; and what steps he will take to avoid undue delays in dealing with applications of the kind outlined in his letter to the hon. Member for Islington, Central on 23 March.
§ Mr. RaisonThe total numbers of applications for citizenship received for each quarter since May 1979 are as follows:
Total number of applications received June–August 1979 14,173 Septemberl–November 1979 14,136 December 1979–February 1980 12,462 March–May 1980 13,196 June–August 1980 11,073 September–November 1980 12,968 December 1980–February 1981 16,887 The average time taken to complete the processing of an application for naturalisation or discretionary registration 451W is 25 months. The average time to complete other applications is 13 months. These periods apply to the whole of the country, including the London area. The number of staff in post was 187 on 1 May 1979, 208 on 1 May 1980 and 215 on 1 March 1981. Every effort is made to avoid undue delays but the greatly increased numbers of applications and the need to restrain public expenditure limit what can be done.