HC Deb 03 March 1978 vol 945 cc397-8W
Mr. Arthur Lewis

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will give, for the longest and most convenient period of time, the number of persons admitted into Great Britain as immigrants from all countries; what is the present actual or estimated total number of immigrants settled in the United Kingdom; and what are the total amounts of money expended in any way by his Department in connection with immigration and the settlement of immigrants for the same period.

Year No. granted parole % granted parole of those eligible % granted parole of average daily prison population
1968 751 15% 2%
(from 1.4.68 to 31.12.68)
1969 1,831 25% 5%
1970 2,201 26% 6%
1971 2,956 28% 7%
1972 2,915 30% 8%
1973 3,328 31% 9%
1974 3,502 33% 9%
1975 4,029 40% 10%
1976 4,991 47% 12%

I will write to the hon. Member as soon as statistics for 1977 are available.

Mr. Brotherton

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, of the number of prisoners granted parole in 1977, how many were serving sentences for (a) armed robbery, (b) murder and (c) rape.

Mr. John

Prisoners serving life sentences are released on life licences, not parole. In 1977 the numbers so released in the three categories were (a) 1, (b) 53,

Mr. Merlyn Rees

From the beginning of 1963, the first full year of Commonwealth immigration control, to the end of 1976, 1,052,000 Commonwealth citizens and foreign nationals were accepted for settlement in the United Kingdom. At the time of the 1971 census, there were resident in Great Britain 2,274,000 people who were born outside the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland; this figure includes people who entered the United Kingdom before 1963, and people admitted to the United Kingdom after 1963 with conditions on their stay and who had not been accepted for settlement. No more recent estimate is available. I will write to my hon. Friend about the last part of the Question.