§ Mr. LidingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what criteria govern the access of(a) the security service, (b) the secret intelligence service and (c) the police to information about individual applications for British citizenship. [148340]
§ Mr. StrawNo Department or agency routinely seeks access to information about individual applications for British citizenship. On the infrequent occasions when information is sought for legitimate crimefighting or national security purposes it will normally be provided.
§ Mr. LidingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his policy is on inviting other Government Departments and agencies to comment on individual applications for British citizenship. [148341]
§ Mr. StrawIn furtherance of tie requirement laid down in the British Nationality Act 1981 for me to be satisfied, before granting naturalisation that an applicant is of good character, my Department carries out checks with the police and where appropriate comments may be sought from other Government Departments and agencies.
§ Mr. LidingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for naturalisation were received by his Department during62W (a) 1997, (b) 1998, (c) 1999 and (d) 2000; what was the average time taken to determine an application in each of those years; and if he will make a statement. [147600]
§ Mrs. Roche[holding answer 29 January 2001]: Persons wishing to become British citizens under the British Nationality Act 1981 apply under two broad categories. Some, including all minors, apply for registration, either as an entitlement or at the Home Secretarys discretion. Others apply for naturalisation, which is always discretionary, on the grounds of residence or marriage to a British citizen. The Integrated Casework Directorate has reliable intake figures only for both types of application combined. Separate intake figures for naturalisation are not available.
The table therefore gives total nationality intake for the years in question, and the average waiting times for all naturalisation cases.
Year Total intake Average waiting times (naturalisation) for the whole year (months) 1997 66,000 16.9 1998 68,030 19.9 1999 67,000 20.5 2000 69,714 18.5 The average waiting time for naturalisations at the end of January 2001 was 14.4 months.