§ Mr. AllenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the refusal of the United Kingdom to grant asylum to two Chinese women democracy activists in September.
§ Mr. Charles WardleThere is no provision for receiving applications for asylum from abroad, but we are prepared to consider granting entry clearance for the purpose of making an asylum application where a person falls within the definition of a refugee in article IA of the 1951 United
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Table showing the authorised establishment of police forces in England and Wales Force 1 April 1979 1 April 1990 percentage change 1 April 1991 percentage change 1 April 1992 percentage change Avon and Somerset 2,853 3,080 7.96 3,081 0.03 3,087 0.19 Bedfordshire 947 1,072 13.20 1,085 1.21 1,178 8.57 Cambridgeshire 1,090 1,205 10.55 1,209 0.33 1,241 2.65 Cheshire 1,805 1,888 4.60 1,889 0.05 1,920 1.64 Cleveland 1,411 1,502 6.45 1,502 0.00 1,502 0.00 Cumbria 1,088 1,175 8.00 1,175 0.00 1,187 1.02 Derbyshire 1,709 1,793 4.92 1,812 1.06 1,850 2.10 Devon and Cornwall 2,673 2,863 7.11 2,865 0.07 2,928 2.20 Dorset 1,164 1,271 9.19 1,272 0.08 1,302 2.36 Durham 1,349 1,375 1.93 1,378 0.22 1,389 0.80 Dyfed-Powys 934 935 0.11 944 0.96 969 2.65 Nations refugees convention and has close ties with the United Kingdom such as to make it the most appropriate country of refuge. On 28 August this year, Amnesty International wrote to the Home Office asylum division asking for the asylum applications of these two women, who were in Hong Kong, to be considered in the United Kingdom. The information provided by Amnesty International was carefully considered and the Hong Kong authorities were consulted. It was established that the applications had been fully considered by the Hong Kong authorities, who did not accept that either applicant would be at risk of persecution if returned to China. There were no grounds for taking a different view of the cases from the Hong Kong authorities, who had had the benefit of interviewing the applicants and hearing their representations at first hand. Neither applicant had any ties with the United Kingdom. Amnesty International was therefore informed on 4 September that there were no grounds for granting them asylum in the United Kingdom.