§ 17. Mr. Easthamasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the refusal rate for (a) husbands and (b) fiancés in the Indian subcontinent in each quarter of 1984; and what percentage of these refusals was wholly or partly on primary purpose grounds.
§ Mr. WaddingtonAbout one third of all applications in the Indian subcontinent for entry clearance from husbands and about one half of those from fiancés were refused in each of the first three quarters of 1984. Applications refused solely or partly because of the primary purpose test accounted for about five sixths of all refusals for both husbands and fiancés. Information for the fourth quarter is not yet available.
§ 19. Mr. Torneyasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of husbands and fiancés applying for entry clearance in New Delhi is refused wholly or partly on primary purpose grounds.
§ Mr. WaddingtonAbout 70 per cent. of applications for entry clearance from husbands and fiancés decided in New Delhi in the first three quarters of 1984 were refused solely or partly on primary purpose grounds.
§ 23. Mr. Litherlandasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he takes in respect of immigration officers and entry clearance officers whose interview notes reveal a less than impartial attitude towards applicants for settlement in the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. WaddingtonMy right hon. and learned Friend, and I, expect all the staff of the immigration and nationality department, including immigration officers, to consider all individual applications impartially and without discrimination on grounds of colour, race or religion. Both the conditions of service of immigration officers, and the immigration rules prohibit such discrimination. If the interviews conducted by the officers or their interview notes, both of which are monitored by supervising officers, indicate that these requirements are not being met action would be taken. This could include disciplinary action where, for example, racially discriminatory behaviour is proven. The conduct of entry clearance officers is the responsibility of my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, but similar action would be taken by his Department.
§ 25. Mr. Pavittasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his response to the report by the Commission for Racial Equality concerning immigration procedures; what plans he has to revise the arrangements for interviewing applicants for immigration into the United Kingdom in order to alleviate problems currently experienced by New Commonwealth citizens; and if he will make a statement.
§ 34. Mr. Fatchettasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has received a copy of the Commission for Racial Equality report on the operation of immigration rules; and whether he will make a statement.
§ 37. Mr. Alex Carlileasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the recent report by the Commission for Racial Equality on immigration procedures.
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§ 61. Mr. Tony Lloydasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement about his response to the Commission for Racial Equality report about immigration procedures.
§ 70. Ms. Clare Shortasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to announce his response to the report of the Commission for Racial Equality on immigration.
§ 81. Mr. Lawlerasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his response to the Commission for Racial Equality's report on immigration processes.
§ Mr. WaddingtonMy right hon. and learned Friend has received a copy of the report. We are studying its detailed recommendations. The Government do not, however, accept the premises on which the CRE bases the report. Immigration control provides the means by which people can show whether they are entitled to come here. In assessing entitlement abuse may be discovered. Testing entitlement and being on guard against abuse are aspects of the same process—not alternatives as appears to be implied by the CRE report. They must be appropriately balanced. But the balance must reflect the fact that from various parts of the world there is continuing pressure to emigrate and people from those parts therefore try to come here and seek work when not entitled to do so. The CRE's failure to acknowledge this fact undermines much of the report's analysis.
§ 41. Mr. Tom Coxasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the present number of people waiting for a visa to enter the United Kingdom to join either a husband or wife.
§ Mr. WaddingtonThe information requested is available only for the Indian subcontinent. 5,000 wives in the Indian subcontinent were awaiting a decision on their application for entry clearance for settlement in the United Kingdom at the end of September 1984. This figure includes those who have been interviewed but whose application remains undetermined. The corresponding number of husbands awaiting a decision is given in table 10 of the Home Office Statistical Bulletin "Control of Immigration: Statistics, Third Quarter, 1984" (Issue 27/84). Figures relating to the end of December 1984 will become available during the first half of March.
§ 53. Mr. Maddenasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he next plans to meet the chief inspector of the immigration service to discuss immigration controls.
§ Mr. BrittanI meet senior officials of the immigration and nationality department, including the chief inspector, as often as the conduct of public business requires.