§ Mr. Keith HillTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many applicants for naturalisation, who had not been free of immigration conditions for 12 months at the time of their application, were granted British passports in 1992, 1993 and so far this year;
(2) how many sportsmen and women who applied for naturalisation and had not been free of immigration conditions for 12 months at the time of their application, were granted British passports in 1992, 1993 and so far this year.
§ Mr. Charles WardleThis information is not recorded.
§ Mr. Keith HillTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department under what circumstances an applicant for naturalisation is granted a British passport within 12 months of being granted indefinite leave to remain.
§ Mr. Charles WardleAn applicant for naturalisation who is not married to a British citizen is normally expected to have been free of immigration time restrictions, but there is discretion to waive this requirement in the special circumstances of any particular case. It is not possible to provide an exhaustive list of all the circumstances in which this discretion would be exercised in favour of an applicant, but we would consider doing so where the 12-months period has been missed by only a few months, provided that the other naturalisation requirements were met in full and that the applicant had well-established links with this country. We are normally prepared to overlook more than this only if there exist compelling reasons of a business or compassionate nature. We will also exercise this discretion if, at the time the application is considered and is otherwise in order, the 12-month period has been completed.
§ Mr. Keith HillTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how long on average it takes to process an application for naturalisation; and what targets have been set in terms of upper time limits.
§ Mr. Charles WardleAverage waiting times for certificates of naturalisation in May 1994 were 15 months. No upper time limits for completing the consideration of applications are set, but we aim to process all applications as expeditiously as possible while ensuring that the
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Consultant Privatisation Market Testing Management advice Accounting Audit Consultancy Other service Total sum £ 1988–1991 Coopers & Lybrand 1 1 3 3 822,331 KPMG Peat Marwick 3 303,145 Ernst and Young 1 2 1 3 614,610 statutory requirements for naturalisation are met. The target is to reduce average waiting times to below 12 months.