§ Mr. Marksasked the Lord Privy Seal what was the total number of entry visa requests received from Union of Soviet Socialist Republics citizens during 1981; how many were for academic purposes; how many were refused; and what were the main reasons for refusals.
§ Mr. Richard Luce[pursuant to his reply, 28 January 1982, c. 407]: A total of 8,583 visa requests were made by Union of Soviet Socialist Republics citizens in 1981. Of these 1,265 were made by persons coming to this country for academic purposes and to attend conferences.The total number of visa requests refused was 124 and over 90 per cent. of the refusals were because the applications were not supported by sponsors in this country.