HC Deb 08 February 1980 vol 978 cc403-4W
Mr. Marlow

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what information is available in terms of numbers travelling inwards and outwards by air to and from destinations from which it might be anticipated that significant quantities of illegal immigrants originate; and if he will give figures for total numbers flying, broken down by nationality.

Mr. Raison

I have been asked to reply.

Monthly information on total passenger movements at all United Kingdom airports, but not divided between inward and outward movements, is published by the Civil Aviation Authority in "Civil Aviation Authority Monthly Statistics", the latest of which relates to June 1979. Information is collected on those arriving and departing at all major airports and seaports in the United Kingdom in the international passenger survey; estimates are published of those travelling for tourism purposes by country grouping, separately for air and sea travel. The latest figures were published by the Department of Trade in "Business Monitor MQ6—Overseas Travel and Tourism for Second Quarter 1979". These numbers include all passengers and not only those subject to immigration control.

Statistics on the number of passengers admitted to the United Kingdom subject to immigration control, by citizenship—nationality, are published by the Home Office in the annual Command Paper "Control of Immigration Statistics", the latest of which relates to 1978 (Cmnd. 7565). Following my right hon. Friend's predecessor's announcement to the House on 20 July 1977—[Vol. 935, c. 553]—statistics of embarkations of people subject to immigration control are not collated centrally because they had been shown to be unreliable. By the very nature of illegal entry, it is not possible to say how many persons enter illegally or which routes they most commonly use.

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