§ Mr. MerchantTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how the concessionary policy which he operated until January 1994 applied to relatives other than spouses and minor children of Somali nationals with refugee status in the United Kingdom. [17026]
§ Mr. Nicholas BakerThe terms in this concession were spelt out in a Home Office letter to interested parties dated 17 May 1990, and the relevant provisions remained unaltered throughout its lifetime. Our normal policy on family reunification for those recognised as refugees in the United Kingdom is to allow immediate reunion with spouse and minor children. When we announced the concession for Somali nationals we said that we would be willing to consider admitting others on a similar basis if they could show that they had been a dependent member of the refugee's immediate family unit before the refugee came to the United Kingdom and that there were exceptional circumstances. The concession was withdrawn in January 1994.