§ Mr. VazTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much overtime, expressed in hours and salary cost involved, have been worked by employees of the immigration and nationality department, at Lunar house, Croydon, since 1 January.
§ Mr. RentonThe number of hours worked as overtime by staff in the immigration and nationality department at Lunar house between 1 January 1988 and 31 March 1988 was 22,768. The estimated cost of the overtime for the period is £159,000.
§ Mr. VazTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many passports were being held at Lunar house on 21 March and of these how many relate to(a) applications for citizenship and (b) applications for variation of leave.
§ Mr. RentonIt is not possible to say exactly how many passports are contained in the 45,000 unopened envelopes containing citizenship applications.
As of 11 April, there were 14,000 unopened packages containing passports and relating to applications for variations relating to leave; all these have been received since early March.
§ Mr. VazTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many letters that remained unsigned by his hon. Friend the Member for Mid-Sussex (Mr. Renton) as at 14 April relative to immigration matters.
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§ Mr. RentonNo record is kept of the number of letters awaiting signature but best endeavours are always employed to complete such work as promptly as possible.
§ Mr. VazTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Government's views on DNA fingerprinting in immigration cases will be published; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. RentonI refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to a question from the hon. and learned Member for Montgomery (Mr. Carlile) on 15 April at column256.
§ Mr. VazTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons initially given temporary admission to Britain were subsequently given leave to remain in Britain on an indefinite basis in(a) 1985, (b) 1986, (c) 1987 and (d) since 1 January, respectively.
§ Mr. RentonThe information requested is not available centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.