HC Deb 24 November 1982 vol 32 cc493-4W
Mr. Marlow

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been deported in each of the last five years because marriages had not subsisted for a year.

Mr. Raison

The information requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Mr. Marlow

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what factors led to the reduction in the numbers of deportations of illegal immigrants between 1980 and 1982.

Mr. Raison

The high figures for 1980 reflect the clearance of a backlog of cases of foreign nationals that had been held in abeyance pending court decisions.

I regret that incorrect figures for the number of persons removed as illegal immigrants in the first two quarters of 1982 were given in the answer to my hon. Friend's question on 18 November.—[Vol. 32, c. 240–41.] Those figures did not include people who made a voluntary departure under the supervision of the Immigration Service. The following table gives the corrected figures for the first two quarters of 1982 and the figure for the third quarter which is now available.

1st Qtr. 2nd Qtr. 3rd Qtr. 4th Qtr. Total
1978 123 135 147 133 538
1979 117 148 152 168 585
1980 230 280 250 140 900
1981 200 170 130 150 650
1982 140 160 140

Mr. Marlow

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions there have been as a result of the investigations in the last five years into organised schemes of abuse of marriage rules.

Mr. Raison

We shall reply as soon as possible.