§ Mr. Chris Smithasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list, for each of the last 12 months for which figures are available (a) the number of visitors applying for entry clearance to the United 461W Kingdom at ports of entry, (b) the number of visitors whose applications have been refused, (c) the number of such cases in which Members of Parliament have intervened, (d) the number of cases under (c) in which temporary admission has been granted pending representations, and (e) the number of cases under (c) in which detention has been applied pending representations; and if he will give these figures for (i) visitors from Bangladesh and (ii) all visitors, respectively.
§ Mr. WaddingtonThe precise information requested is either not available or could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
However, figures are available for the numbers of citizens of (i) Bangladesh and (ii) all non-EC countries who were (a) admitted as visitors and (b) refused leave to enter and subsequently removed for each month in the period July 1984 to June 1985; figures for refusals, but not, as yet, for admissions, are also available for July to October and are given in the table.
TABLE A Visitors admitted Refused admission and removed Month of admission/removal Bangladesh Non-EC Total Bangladesh Non-EC Total 1984 July 1,400 776,000 26 1,780 August 1,060 737,000 36 1,830 September 880 641,000 34 1,700 October 670 460,000 69 1,670 November 620 343,000 37 1,270 December 640 343,000 59 1,600 1985 January 440 260,000 55 1,280 February 400 343,000 42 990 March 540 420,000 53 1,280 April 680 468,000 47 1,220 May 820 637,000 50 1,230 June 1,250 847,000 50 1,390 July * * 70 1,600 August * * 99 1,800 September * * 153 1,860 October * * 192 1,790 * Not yet available. Information is also available for recent months on the numbers of citizens of Bangladesh refused leave to enter, but not necessarily subsequently removed, and representations from hon. Members at Heathrow terminal 3; those figures for July, August and September were given in a reply to the right hon. Member for Bethnal Green and Stepney (Mr. Shore) on 29 October at columns 408–9, and are as follows:
462W
1984 1985 Refusals of entry July 22 129 August 28 237 September 22 318 TOTAL 72 684 Representations from hon. Members July 7 57 August 4 122 September 5 181 TOTAL 16 360
§ Mr. Deakinsasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what criteria are used by immigration officers in deciding whether to allow a visitor refused entry temporary admission pending representations by an hon. Member.
§ Mr. WaddingtonParagraph 21 of schedule 2 to the Immigration Act gives an immigration officer authority to admit temporarily to the United Kingdom any person who is liable to be detained or is detained under paragraph 16 of the same schedule. It may only be used pending the completion of an examination, the implementation of removal directions, or when a decision to refuse entry has been taken but is being reconsidered. The immigration officer may grant temporary admission subject to such restrictions as to residence and reporting to an immigration officer or to the police as are considered necessary.
Temporary admission is granted readily to any person who, in the judgment of the immigration officer, can be trusted to comply with its terms and is not therefore likely to abscond. Compassionate aspects, such as age and infirmity, are taken into account as is the reliability of any sponsor involved. These criteria are applied to all cases, including those where representations are made by right hon. and hon. Members.
§ Mr. Tony Lloydasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department under what circumstances relatives, friends or representatives are able to remain with travellers arriving from or returning to the port during an interview by immigration officers.
§ Mr. WaddingtonThe initial examination of a person arriving in the United Kingdom is normally conducted by the immigration officer with the individual passenger alone. Exceptions are made where members of a family are travelling together. The presence of friends or representatives is not at this stage normally allowed. In any subsequent interview the presence of friends or representatives is normally allowed, subject to their agreement that this will be only as observers and to the consent of the passenger.