§ Mr. Jim MarshallTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list for the latest period for which figures are available the number of people entering the UK from non-EU countries as visitors with permission to stay for up to six months; the proportion of these not permitted to pass immediately through passport control but subject to interview and the proportion of those interviewed refused entry. [97445]
§ Mrs. RocheAll non-European Economic Area (EEA) passengers seeking entry as visitors are subject to interview to determine their admissibility under the immigration rules. In the 12 months from July 1998 to June 1999, some 8.2 million non-EEA nationals were granted leave to enter as visitors for up to six months. Information on persons seeking entry as visitors who were subject to further examination is available only for 13 of the largest ports. At these ports, 23,500 non-EEA visitors were subject to further examination in the 12-month period and of these, 68 per cent. (16,100) were refused leave to enter.
§ Mr. Jim MarshallTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average waiting time at(a) Heathrow and (b) Gatwick airports of people wishing to enter the UK as visitors who are not permitted to pass immediately through passport control but are subject to interview. [97444]
§ Mrs. RocheThe information requested is not available.
The length of time involved in assessing a passenger's eligibility for entry varies considerably depending on the particular situation and on factors such as the availability of interpreters and sponsors, which are outside the control of the Immigration Officer.
Every effort is made to deal with each case at the earliest opportunity.
467W
§ Mr. Jim MarshallTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps are taken to ensure that the Immigration and Nationality Directorate operates in a non-discriminatory way; and what monitoring is carried out of the Directorate's(a) operations and (b) statistics on immigration case decisions. [97530]
§ Mrs. RocheStaff in the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) are required by the Immigration Rules to perform their duties without regard to the race, colour or religion of persons seeking to enter or remain in the United Kingdom. Staff dealing with applications are trained in racial and cultural awareness. All IND staff are in the process of receiving training in discrimination issues and equal opportunities. IND investigates all complaints by members of the public against IND staff, including complaints of racial and other unfair discrimination. The independent Complaints Audit Committee, appointed by my right hon. Friend, the Home Secretary, monitors the effectiveness of the procedures, and reports to him annually. Copies of these Reports are placed in the Library. The number of complaints of discrimination since 1995 are given in the table:
Racial discrimination Other unfair discrimination Total Substantiated 1995 40 1 41 1 1996 31 6 37 1 1997 41 8 49 0 1998 38 11 49 0 19991 21 4 25 4 1 Provisional figures to end of September
§ Mr. Jim MarshallTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the numbers of staff employed in the Immigration and Nationality Directorate who deal with individual casework excluding administrative staff, indicating the proportions from(a) black and (b) ethnic minority communities. [97529]
§ Mrs. RocheSince January 1999, the majority of casework has been undertaken by staff in the Integrated Casework Directorate (ICD). Most casework decisions in the ICD are taken by Administrative Officers (AOs) or Executive Officers (EOs) with staff in other grades providing either management, quality control, or administrative support for the caseworking function. The data requested are as follows:
Grade Number of staff 1 Black (%) Ethnic Origin 2 Asian (%) Other (%) AA 386 15.28 33.05 1.23 AO 516 11.43 23.31 0.67 EO 460 9.11 16.35 1.63 HEO 204 2.76 5.52 0.60 SEO 37 — — — Grade 7 9 — — — Grade 6 — — — SCS — — — 1 Figures exclude Support Grade Band staff 2 The percentages shown relate to the number of staff in each grade whose ethnic origin is known