§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in view of the fact that, notwithstanding the special aids financial and otherwise that the Government have made available to stress areas with large immigrant populations there are still serious problems and difficulties affecting housing, education, health and employment in these areas, whether he will call a conference of all concerned to see what can be done to remove these problems and difficulties and thereby improve race relations.
100W
§ Mr. JohnThe only information readily available is for the years 1974 to 1976 and covers nearly all the offences classified in the Home Office statistics as offences of "violence against the person" together with certain sexual offences involving violence.
§ Mr. JohnIn view of the various standing arrangements—including the Advisory Council on Race Relations—which already exist for the discussion of the special difficulties of ethnic minorities, I see no need for a conference on the lines proposed.
§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has received the letter of 3rd February from the hon. Member for Newham, North-West drawing his attention to Nirarjar Singh Maagat's views on immigration; and whether he will arrange to 101W meet this gentleman and discuss this subject with him.
§ Mr. Merlyn ReesI have received my hon. Friend's letter of 3rd February and I have read the newspaper article to which he refers. I have no plans to meet the author.
§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether his new rulings admitting citizens from the United Arab Emirates and Surinam without visas will apply to natives from these countries who may have settled in countries other than that of their birth; how he will be able to control the entry and stay of nationals of these countries who enter by just showing a passport from their country of origin; and to what extent he estimates this will increase the number of immigrants;
(2) to what extent his statement on the changing of the immigration rules and control on entry of EEC and other non-Commonwealth nationals whereby immigrants from the United Arab Emirates and Surinam will no longer have to produce visas will affect immigration from these countries; and how control will be able to be enforced when nationals from these countries enter for short periods of stay and then remain illegally, after their time for return has expired.
§ Mr. Merlyn ReesThe Statement of Change in Immigration Rules for Control on Entry, EEC and Other Non-Commonwealth Nationals, which was laid before Parliament on 26th January (HC 173) will apply to all nationals of the United Arab Emirates and of Surinam. They will be allowed to enter and stay in the United Kingdom if they fulfil the requirements of the Immigration Rules. I do not expect that this will lead to any increase in the number of immigrants, but I hope that it will assist the movement of bona fide visitors who are nationals of those countries. There will be no change in the procedure for ensuring that they have left at the end of their permitted stay.
§ Mr. Shepherdasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set out in the Official Report a table showing for each of the last four years the numbers of immigrants from East European countries, broken down into individual countries.
102W
§ Dr. SummerskillDetailed breakdowns of the number of acceptances for settlement of citizens of each of Czechoslovakia, the German Democratic Republic—from 1974 only—Hungary, Poland, Romania, the USSR and Yugoslavia are published in the annual Command Papers, the latest of which is "Control of Immigration; Statistics 1976" (Cmnd. 6883) published in July 1977.
§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, during his discussions with people and organisations covering the problems connected with immigration, he will explain what the Government's intentions are with regard to assisting such areas which have large immigrant populations to deal with difficulties connected with housing, education, hospital and medical facilities, teachers, employment, law breaking and police shortage, social security, welfare and general community relations.
§ Mr. Merlyn ReesI always take every appropriate opportunity to explain relevant aspects of the Government's policies to any individuals or groups with whom I have discussions.
§ Mr. Brothertonasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his policy to adopt a programme of repatriation of immigrants similar to that of the French Government; and, to that end, if he will study the French Government's programme of repatriation.