§ Mr. Leightonasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give the figures for the number of aged parents and dependent relatives in the Indian Sub-continent waiting to join their families in the United Kingdom; and if he will estimate when this process will be completed.
§ Mr. Raison:On 30 June 1982, 1,360 dependent relatives other than husbands, wives and children in the Indian Sub-continent were awaiting a decision on their application for entry clearance for immediate settlement. A breakdown of this figure by type of dependent is not available. However, of those granted entry clearance in 1981, about 60 per cent. were parents, three-quarters of whom were 60 years old or more. New applications are being made each month, so that it is not possible to estimate when the process will be completed.