§ Mr. Michael McNair-Wilsonasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs why the British embassy in Beirut has stopped issuing visas to Lebanese nationals wishing to visit the United Kingdom; 80W whether this will affect reciprocal arrangements in the United Kingdom for issuing visas to those wishing to visit Lebanon; by what means Arab business men from Beirut will now be able to come to the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. HurdThe recent reduction in embassy staff is a temporary measure for security reasons. We have been keeping embassy staff numbers under constant review and have decided that the visa section of the embassy should reopen on a reduced scale in order to provide a limited service from 20 May. Reciprocal arrangements for the issue of visas to those in the United Kingdom wishing to visit Lebanon remain unaffected.