§ Mr. David MartinTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the revised guidelines on the handling of representations by hon. Members in immigration cases will come into effect; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. HurdI have made certain amendments to the provisions of the draft revised guidelines first circulated on 18 July in the light of points made to my hon. Friend the Minister of State in the debate on 10 November. My hon. Friend is writing to all Members today enclosing the final text of the revised guidelines and a copy has also been placed in the Library. The revised guidelines will be implemented on 3 January 1989 in respect of all representations received on or after that date.
The guidelines issued on 18 July by my right hon. and learned Friend the Foreign Secretary in connection with Members' representations about the operation of the immigration control overseas will also come into effect as from 3 January 1989.
§ Mr. ColvinTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will make a statement about the outcome of the meeting of European Community immigration Ministers in Athens on 9 December.
§ Mr. HurdThis was the fifth such meeting following, an initiative taken during the United Kingdom Presidency in 1986 to help prepare the EC's approach to the creation of the single market by the end of 1992 so far as the movement of persons is concerned.
On this occasion the meeting took place after the meeting of the European Council, upon which my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister reported to the House on 6 December at columns 173 to 186. Meeting in Rhodes, the European Council, in its final communique on 3 December, noting that the achievement of objectives in relation to frontiers was linked to progress in intergovernmental co-operation to combat terrorism and other serious crime, indicated that member states would each appoint a co-ordinator to help the Community achieve results. Although there are already established arrangements within the United Kingdom, I signified, at the Athens meeting, the United Kingdom Government's support for this proposal whose implementation is now being given urgent study amongst EC partners.
Otherwise the Athens meeting's main work was to review the progress of the ad hoc working group on immigration and its sub-groups on asylum and fraudulent travel papers. Ministers noted the linkages between aligning visa policy, frontier controls and asylum practice in the drive to simplify controls at EC internal frontiers, and took account of various practical measures identified for action or further study. It appears that, if a basis for agreement can be found on which state should be 579W responsible for considering individual applications for asylum, most EC states will need to legislate to give it effect.
In the context of the meeting, I took the opportunity to mention the Government's intention to introduce next spring a single immigration channel for all nationals of the EC (including British nationals) entering the country. The aim of this change is to reduce, as far as possible, the levels of checks on EC nationals entering the United Kingdom without disturbing our ability to maintain adequate controls on nationals of third countries.
At the same time, I reminded the meeting that there could be no question of abandoning checks on third country nationals at internal frontiers in the foreseeable future. This was a point emphasised by my right hon. Friend on 6 December and in which the United Kingdom is supported by a number of EC partners. This means that checks will have to be maintained on all travellers to ensure that the authenticity of their claims may be verified.
Further, although it arose as part of separate consideration it is relevant to add that the Trevi group's meeting which immediately followed that of immigration Ministers—and upon which I shall be reporting separately .considered the implication of 1992 for the maintenance of successful defence in depth against terrorism and serious crime. It decided to authorise further study of how to strike the right balance between greater freedom of movement for the development of the Community on the one hand and, on the other, creating an open market for terrorists and major criminals.
§ Mr. JannerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what percentage of overseas applicants for entry to the United Kingdom are awaiting reconsideration of their cases on the basis of DNA tests; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. EggarI have been asked to reply.
The information requested is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.