§ Mr. Wilkinsonasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the recent visit of the Under-Secretary of State to Bangladesh, India and Pakistan and on the results achieved by this visit.
§ Mr. LaneThe purposes of my visit were to see the working of our entry clearance offices, to appraise the procedures for dealing with applications from dependants and others seeking to enter this country, and to discuss with the Governments concerned what further steps could be taken to counter illegal immigration. I derived great benefit from seeing at first hand the work of our entry clearance officers and from reviewing with our 73W representatives in the three countries some of the problems with which they have to deal. I was able to discuss the measures against illegal immigration and other matters of common concern in a spirit of practical co-operation with the three Governments. My right hon. Friend is considering the conclusions to be drawn from the visit, which we believe to have been very useful.