§ Mr. Peter Bruinvelsasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the average waiting time prior to gaining permanent admission to the United Kingdom for applicants from the Indian subcontinent in 1979 and each subsequent year for which figures are available; to what he attributes the changes in the time over that period; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. WaddingtonThe waiting times shown in the published information to which I referred in my reply to my hon. Friend on 6 February, at columns 575–76, reflect the number of new applications received, the resources available for interviewing applicants and the queueing arrangements for the different categories of applicant. Many applicants are put in a priority queue and attend their first interview much sooner than those in the main queue.