§ Mr. John Fraserasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many staff in his Department are employed at the High Commission in Dar-es-Salaam; and how long they are taking to deal with applications for entry certificates to enter the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. KershawThe staff of the British High Commission at Dar-es-Salaam comprises 17 United Kingdom-based staff and 27 locally-engaged employees. The issue of entry certificates is the responsibility of one United Kingdom based officer supported by three local employees.
In straightforward cases entry certificates are invariably issued within 24 hours. Where the entry certificate officer 25W considers that an interview is necessary to establish the bona fides of the applicant the issue of the entry certificate may be delayed for two or three days. A small number of applications have to be referred to the Home Office for inquiries to be made, and in these cases a decision may be deferred for up to six weeks.