§ Lord AVEBURYasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will keep records from now on of all recommendations made by the appellate authorities in immigration cases and the action taken by the Secretary of State on these recommendations.
§ Lord HARRIS of GREENWICHI assume that the noble Lord is referring to cases where, although dismissing the appeal, the appellate authorities made an extra-statutory recommendation that the Secretary of State exercise his discretion outside the Immigration Rules.
A record of the recommendation and the action taken on it is kept on the individual case file but figures are not kept. To collect them would involve extra work which would increase delays in the Immigration and Nationality Department and this would not be justified. But I can assure the noble Lord that when the appellate authorities recommend the exercise of discretion outside the Immigration Rules, the merits of the case are very carefully reviewed and many such recommendations are accepted.