§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when it became practice to stamp the passports of visitors granted an extension of stay requiring them to register at once with the police.
§ Mr. WaddingtonIt is not possible to say precisely when it became the practice to endorse the passports with the requirement to register with the police but it certainly predates the Immigration Act 1971 by very many years.
§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many visitors from the five
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United Kingdom Nationality Number of passengers admitted in the year ending May 1986 Number of passengers refused leave to enter and removed in the year ending Number of passengers known to have absconded1 May 1986 June 1986 Between July and December 19852 Between January and June 1986 India 259,000 2,745 2,931 37 131 Pakistan 117,000 1,962 2,094 9 28 Bangladesh 29,000 1,459 1,491 79 129 countries for which visas have recently been required have been sent back to the country of origin since 6 October despite the intervention of an hon. Member.
§ Mr. WaddingtonOn 7 October, two passengers were incorrectly returned. On 19 October, five passengers were sent back when a right hon. or hon. Member had expressed an interest in the case prior to the decision to refuse entry, and on the same day a further passenger was sent back when his case was not identified from the details provided by the hon. Member.
Although I am sure the House will understand the special difficulties which have recently obtained at the airport terminals concerned, I naturally regret the discourtesy to hon. and right hon. Members.
§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if a record is kept of the stated reason for travelling to the United Kingdom of visitors who are refused entry.
§ Mr. WaddingtonYes, on individual case papers only.
§ Mr. Teddy Taylorasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his policy to seek to ensure that nationals of the countries covered by the visa requirements outlined in the statement of 21 October who have the right of permanent settlement in the United Kingdom stamped in their passports do not require to obtain a re-entry visa when visiting their country of origin.
§ Mr. WaddingtonCitizens of Bangladesh, Ghana, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka do not need a visa if they are settled here and return after an absence abroad of less than two years. The visa requirement for citizens of Nigeria will have a similar exemption. Arrangements have been made to enable those who are exempt from the visa requirement to obtain an endorsement in their passport confirming their exemption.
§ Mr. Kaufmanasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will state, in respect of the year ended June 1986, the number of passengers from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nigeria and Ghana who (a) were admitted to the United Kingdom, (b) were refused admission to the United Kingdom and (c) are believed by his Department to have absconded following temporary admission;
(2) if he will state, in respect of the year ended June 1986, the number of passengers from South Africa who (a) were admitted to the United Kingdom, (b) were refused admission to the United Kingdom and (c) are believed to have absconded following temporary admission.
§ Mr. WaddingtonThe available information is given in the following table. Figures by nationality of passengers admitted in June 1986 are not yet available. Figures by nationality of passengers who absconded which cover all ports are only available from 1 January 1986.
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Nationality Number of passengers admitted in the year ending May 1986 Number of passengers refused leave to enter and removed in the year ending Number of passengers known to have absconded1 May 1986 June 1986 Between July and December 19852 Between January and June 1986 Nigeria 248,000 3,461 3,634 5 19 Ghana 39,000 1,540 1,596 15 25 South Africa 99,500 118 123 0 0 1 Includes any passengers who absconded from the control at their port of entry or who absconded from detention. 2 Passengers arriving at Heathrow Terminal 3 only.
§ Mr. Kaufmanasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish in the Official Report a statement for the year ended June 1986 of the total number of passengers from each country (a) admitted and (b) refused admission to the United Kingdom.
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Passengers given leave to enter and passengers refused leave to enter and removed from the United Kingdom by nationality, excluding European Community nationals Nationality Total passengers admitted in the year ending Passengers refused leave to enter and removed in the year ending May 1986 May 1986 June 1986 Commonwealth Australia 375,000 67 77 Bangladesh 29,000 1,459 1,491 Barbados 9,050 6 6 Canada 495,000 63 71 Cyprus 38,300 82 83 Ghana 39,000 1,540 1,596 Guyana 6,500 13 12 Hong Kong BDTC 60,100 140 114 India 259,000 2,745 2,931 Jamaica 30,200 101 105 Kenya 28,600 67 68 Malaysia 74,000 159 153 Malta 39,600 24 24 Mauritius 17,700 109 114 New Zealand 97,000 26 27 Nigeria 248,000 3,461 3,634 Sierra Leone 8,000 68 62 Singapore 36,700 50 52 Sri Lanka 27,800 502 408 Tanzania 12,100 80 87 Trinidad and Tobago 23,900 5 5 Uganda 7,730 65 74 Zimbabwe 17,500 43 45 Zambia 11,700 28 31 British Overseas citizens 14,400 51 55 Other Commonwealth Countries 31,500 145 144 COMMONWEALTH TOTAL 2,040,000 11,099 11,469 Foreign nationals Algeria 25,000 679 667 Egypt 51,900 69 66 Argentina 25,800 111 116 Austria 112,000 60 57 Brazil 62,900 136 149 Bulgaria 4,640 18 24 Chile 11,200 42 34 China 13,000 28 28 Colombia 22,100 276 266 Cuba 860 1 1 Czechoslovakia 13,700 12 9 Ethiopia 5,640 42 43 Finland 83,200 23 28 German Democratic Republic 5,650 11 12 Hungary 19,800 16 21 Indonesia 15,900 10 13 Iran 65,100 338 339
§ Mr. WaddingtonThe following table gives, by nationality, the numbers of passengers admitted to the United Kingdom in the year ending May 1986 and the numbers refused entry and removed from the United Kingdom in both the year ending May 1986 and the year ending June 1986. Figures by nationality of passengers admitted in June 1986 are not yet available.
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Nationality Total passengers admitted in the year ending Passengers refused leave removed in the year ending May 1986 May 1986 June 1986 Iraq 20,900 122 125 Israel 108,000 170 172 Japan 337,000 79 86 Jordan 26,900 25 25 Kuwait 33,500 5 6 Lebanon 38,900 83 81 Libya 3,890 91 96 Mexico 51,400 33 32 Morocco 18,000 800 792 Norway 274,000 36 35 Pakistan 117,000 1,962 2,094 Peru 9,400 41 41 Philippines 27,700 130 128 Poland 43,000 115 118 Romania 3,440 19 19 Saudi Arabia 51,400 87 85 Somalia 1,980 5 8 South Africa 99,500 118 123 Sudan 18,300 43 46 Sweden 380,000 88 95 Switzerland 258,000 59 50 Syria 15,200 23 40 Thailand 20,000 37 37 Tunisia 9,820 165 155 Turkey 56,800 852 834 United States of America 3,000,000 620 653 USSR 11,200 84 84 Uruguay 4,200 7 7 Venezuela 12,300 6 9 Yugoslavia 38,800 159 160 Other Foreign countries 161,000 495 515 Stateless 77,100 645 649 NON EC FOREIGN NATIONAL TOTAL 5,870,000 9,076 9,281 ALL NATIONALITIES EXCLUDING EC 7,910,000 20,175 20,750
§ Mr. Nellistasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if any compensation arrangements will be introduced by the Government for the families of visitors detained at Heathrow and other ports of entry to cover their accommodation, travel expenses and loss of earnings; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. WaddingtonNo.
§ Mr. Jannerasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the estimated cost per annum of a visa immigration officer at Heathrow; how many there are at present in Heathrow; how many interpreters of Indian languages are stationed at present in Heathrow; and what is the estimated cost per annum of keeping them there.
§ Mr. WaddingtonAt 30 September 1986, 542 immigration officers and seven interpreters specialising in languages of the Indian sub-continent were based at Heathrow. The other information requested which is readily available is as follows.
The basic salary scale for immigration officers ranges from £5,605 to £10,188, and for interpreters from £6,681 to £9,452. In addition they receive London weighting, premium pay for weekend working, overtime and a shift disturbance allowance of 16.5 per cent. of basic pay for an immigration officer and 10.5 per cent. for an interpreter.
§ Mr. Jannerasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he made of the cost of installing additional officers at Heathrow to cope with the increased work load of entry applications as opposed to sending additional officers abroad.
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§ Mr. WaddingtonOn certain assumptions it was estimated that up to 300 additional immigration service staff might have been required at all ports to meet the extra workload imposed by the growth of difficult casework. Extra office, control and detention accommodation would also have been required. Not only is this not available in the existing buildings, but its provision could not have guaranteed a satisfactory solution or an end to congestion and delays in the long term. Complex or difficult cases simply cannot he quickly and effectively scrutinised at the ports.
§ Mr. Kaufmanasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what basis his Department establishes the numbers and natural origins of visitors alleged to be absconders.
§ Mr. WaddingtonThe record of absconders is of people of whom all trace is lost either before a decision is made on whether they qualify for entry or after they haw been refused entry and are avoiding removal. The figure includes those who:
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- (a) abscond from immigration control areas or detention accommodation;
- (b) have been allowed temporary admission to a private address or hotel to a specific date, but who fail to report on the due date and with whom contact is lost;
- (c) have been similarly allowed temporary admission but without a restriction as to reporting on a specific date, who cannot subsequently be traced when the immigration service seek to contact them;
- (d) are reported by their hosts as having absconded from private addresses.
Nationality is taken as that given in the passport produced.
This category is different from that of overstayers, who are admitted as visitors but then stay on.
§ Mr. Dubsasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many passengers in total have been granted temporary admission in each quarter of the current year;
(2) how many passengers refused entry to the United Kingdom were (a) detained, (b) given temporary admission and (c) given temporary admission to hotels in each quarter since January.
Period in 1986 1st quarter 2nd quarter July and August Number of passengers taken into detention in approved accommodation either pending further examination or after refusal of leave to enter 3,598 3,808 2,668 Number of passengers granted temporary admission Pending further examination 1,656 1,582 2,074 After refusal of leave to enter1 1,948 2,756 2,281 1 The same person may be counted in both categories.