§ Mr. Cohenasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will revise his instructions to 483W immigration officers to preclude them from reading private letters in the possession of applicants for entry, making inquiries about applicants' sex lives, or making decisions on whether to grant entry dependent in any way on the personal relations between the applicant and his or her near relations.
§ Mr. WaddingtonThe Immigration Act 1971 empowers Immigration Officers to require the production of documents, including letters, carried by those seeking leave to enter. Instructions make it clear that personal letters are only to be read when this is necessary for the consideration of the case, and should not be examined without the consent of the passenger save after reference to a supervising officer. Immigration Officers are required to be tactful when questioning passengers but the grant of leave to enter will often depend on an assessment of the purpose of the proposed stay here and in some cases will inevitably involve questions being asked about personal relationships. I am not persuaded that the relevant instructions require revision.