§ Mr. Marlowasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, when considering applications for males to enter the United Kingdom to marry or affiance with United Kingdom females, he will take care to ensure that the females concerned are personally desirous that the marriage should take place and that where necessary confidential interviews can take place to prevent family or other third party pressures from being applied.
§ Mr. RaisonEntry clearance officers are aware of the problems which my hon. Friend has in mind. Where there are doubts on this score an interview with the fiancée in this country may be arranged. Similar interviews may be necessary when there are doubts whether a marriage has taken place, subsists or is likely to subsist. Where the fiancée or wife expresses a wish to be interviewed privately or the interviewing officer suspects that she is under duress every effort is made to arrange a confidential interview. But if a decision is to be based on the ground that a marriage has not or will not take place, or does not or is unlikely to subsist, there must be a preparedness on the part of the fiancée or wife to give evidence of her unwillingness to marry or continue in marriage for production at any appeal.