§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) in view of the fact that during 1976 there were 10,089,000 overseas visitors to Great Britain, what action he has taken, and with what results, to ensure that all of these temporary visitors returned to their countries of origin;
(2) In the light of the fact that the British Tourist Authority estimates that, during 1977, 12 million overseas visitors will visit Great Britain, whether he will give an assurance that the system of control at ports of entry is adequate to ensure that all of these visitors return at the end of their period of visiting.
§ Dr. SummerskillMeasures of immigration control at ports, and after entry, are geared to available resources, to the scale of current and prospective traffic, and to the need to maintain an effective system. As I stated in reply to a Question by my hon. Friend on 28th June—[Vol. 934, c.129]—checks on departure are accordingly selective. Appropriate action is taken, within available resources, when these checks reveal that 170W a person has overstayed his leave to remain here. I keep the working of the system under continuing review.