HC Deb 01 July 1993 vol 227 cc565-6W
Mr. Madden

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the latest number of(a) ex-detainees and (b) dependants from the former Yugoslavia who have arrived in the United Kingdom under the arrangements announced last November; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Charles Wardle

A total of 238 ex-detainees and 404 dependants from the former Yugoslavia have so far arrived under the arrangements which I announced on 30 November 1992.

Mr. Madden

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has for the United Kingdom to receive refugees from the former Yugoslavia other than ex-detainees or their dependants; what is the estimate of such persons now in(a) Bosnia, (b) Croatia and (c) Slovenia; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Charles Wardle

Our programme to receive 1,000 vulnerable individuals plus their dependants has concentrated on former detainees since the humanitarian organisations have given priority to this group. Outside the programme, refugees from former Yugoslavia—like individuals of other nationalities—may seek entry clearance to come to the United Kingdom if they feel that this would be a more appropriate country of refuge. I understand that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees latest estimates of refugees and displaced people in the region are: Bosnia 2,280,000; Croatia 572,000; Slovenia 35,000.