§ Mr. Hindasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he is proposing to take to combat evasion of the visa requirement for Sri Lanka; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. HurdIn reply to questions by private notice on 16 and 17 February, my right hon. and learned Friend the Minister of State explained the decision to seek to return to Bangladesh the organised group of 64 Tamils from Sri Lanka who had arrived claiming asylum on 13 February with forged or mutilated passports, or having destroyed them. An application was made on their behalf for judicial review of my decision, and an order obtained on 16 February staying their departure until the application30W could be heard today. The matter is subjudice, but I can confirm that the Government will be vigorously opposing the application. We are in no doubt that for the reasons given by my right hon. and learned Friend that speedy action is required in some cases if the right of asylum is not to be distorted into a means of evading immigration control.
It will not, however, be enough to deal with the instant cases or to take any future cases as and when they appear. It is necessary also to consider what preventive steps may be taken.
It is crucially important that airlines and other carriers should not bring into this country from abroad people who do not hold the necessary visas or other documents. Carriers are already required to pay the detention or other costs of those they bring to the United Kingdom who are refused entry and subsequently removed.
The Government are considering urgently whether to follow the example of certain other countries, including the Federal Republic of Germany and Canada, in taking powers to impose financial penalties on carriers who bring people to this country without the necessary passports, visas, or other documents. The Government are also considering whether these powers should enable the imposition of penalties to be retrospective to the date on which they announce their proposals.
In the meantime, the Department of Transport will be speaking to airline representatives to impress their responsibilities upon them. I have also sent an urgent message to the Belgian presidency of the European Community stressing my continuing support for the work begun on these problems by the Ministers of the Interior during the United Kingdom presidency last autumn. I have expressed the hope that this work can be accelerated and that a report prepared For Ministers during March.
The right of asylum is a prized tradition in this country. It is clearly defined in the 1951 United Nations convention on refugees which we shall continue to respect. We and our partners in Europe need to find effective means of distinguishing between this right and its abuse as a means of evading immigration control.