§ Mr. Tom Coxasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in view of the problems faced by the supreme head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association on his arrival at Sheerness on 4 November, what action and discussion he has taken to ensure that such an incident does not take place again; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. WaddingtonMr. Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad, the supreme head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association, arrived with a party of 10 other persons, all of whom were subject to immigration control. They were travelling in two cars, which arrived at the control kiosk towards the front of the queue of the 70 cars disembarking from the ferry. Only one immigration officer was immediately available to clear the car passengers. The passengers in the other cars were not subject to full immigration control and could be cleared more quickly. The chief immigration officer judged that the overall clearance rate of all vehicles would be more quickly achieved by requesting the party to wait until the other cars had been examined. The officer explained that his decision was based solely on grounds of operational efficiency and apologised for the delay. No discourtesy was intended to the supreme head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association and his party, and indeed 245W the chief immigration officer was not aware of the very important position which Mr. Ahmad held, but I regret the delay and inconvenience caused. Suitable advice has been given to the staff at Sheerness to prevent a recurrence.