HL Deb 02 November 1987 vol 489 c877WA
Lord Hylton

asked Her Majesty's Government:

When they expect to announce arrangements for the acceptance for family reunion in the United Kingdom of a further 365 more distantly related refugees now in Hong Kong, and what representations they have received on that subject.

The Earl of Caithness

The Government announced on 8th May their acceptance for settlement here over a two-year period of 468 Vietnamese in Hong Kong who have been identified as close relatives of those already here. There are no plans to extend the criteria for family reunion beyond those currently applied, although we are always willing to consider any individual cases brought to our attention. We have received a number of representations about the possibility of allowing further Vietnamese refugees to be resettled in this country, including from a delegation headed by the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Birmingham which recently met Mr. Timothy Renton, the Home Office Minister of State responsible for these matters.