§ Ms. Ruddockasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been refused naturalisation under the British Nationality Act 1981 on the basis of either unsound mind or not being of good character.
§ Mr. RentonBetween July 1986 and September 1987, three applications for naturalisation as British citizens have been recorded as refused on the ground that the applicant was of unsound mind. Earlier figures are not readily available.
Between January 1983 and September 1987, 1,244 applications for naturalisation as British citizens have been recorded as refused on the ground that the applicant was not of good character.
§ Ms. Ruddockasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the steps being taken to inform people who are currently in prison, long-stay hospitals and homes for the disabled of their rights to register as British citizens under the provisions of the British Nationality Act 1981 before the deadline of 31 December.
§ Mr. RentonI refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to a question by the hon. Member for St. Helens, South (Mr. Bermingham) on 21 October at column779.
§ Ms. Ruddockasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many women are eligible for registration as British citizens on grounds of marriage under the provisions of the British Nationality Act 1981;
(2) how many people living in Britain are eligible to register as British citizens by 31 December under the provisions of the British Nationality Act 1981;
(3) how many people have registered to date as British citizens under the provisions of the British Nationality Act 1981; and what proportion of the total number eligible this represents;
452W(4) how many people living in the London borough of Lewisham are eligible to register as British citizens by 31 December under the provisions of the British Nationality Act 1981.
§ Mr. RentonThe number of people entitled to apply before 31 December 1987 for registration under sections 7 and 8 of the British Nationality Act 1981 cannot be accurately estimated.
From 1983 to 1986 inclusive, some 112,000 adults have been registered as entitled on grounds of marriage to a British citizen or of long residence in the United Kingdom. Provisional figures for 1987 show there to have been some 24,000 registrations on this basis up to the end of September.
§ Ms. Ruddockasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many cases have people been refused registration as a British citizen under the provisions of the British Nationality Act 1981; and on what grounds.
§ Mr. RentonFigures relating to the refusal of British citizenship alone are not readily available but between January 1983 and September 1987, 7,485 registration applications for British citizenship, British Overseas citizenship and British subject status were refused on the grounds either that the Secretary of State was not satisfied that the applicants had met the statutory requirements or that he did not think it appropriate to exercise his discretion to register them.
§ Ms. Ruddockasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he proposes to take to ensure that people who are eligible to register as British citizens under the British Nationality Act 1981 are fully informed of this right in time to make their application by the deadline of 31 December.
§ Mr. RentonA free information leaflet "Your Right to British Citizenship", was published in 1986. It is available in seven languages. At the same time, a poster drawing attention to the leaflet was published and has been widely distributed to advisory and community organisations. We followed this up this year by publicising the leaflet in selected local and ethnic minority newspapers in March and September in an advertisement drawing attention to the 31 December 1987 deadline.