§ Mr. Tim SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons were removed under deportation powers in 1987 and 1988; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Mr. RentonA total of 1,388 persons were removed under the deportation powers in 1988, a 50 per cent. increase on the 923 removed in 1987. While the number of deportation orders enforced in the two years was much the same (776 in 1987 and 745 in 1988), the numbers of supervised departures increased very substantially from 147 in 1987 to 643 in 1988. This increase occurred among those removed under section 3(5)(a) of the Immigration Act 1971 for overstaying or working in breach of their conditions. It reflects the combined impact of more effective administrative arrangements introduced on 1 August 1988 and the provisions in the Immigration Act 1988 which restricted the appeal rights of those who had been here for less than seven years to matters of fact and which also provided authority to meet the cost of all supervised departures.
The increases in the figures reflect the Government's determination to make every effort to deal quickly and effectively with those who offend against the immigration laws. As was announced when the Government's expenditure plans were published, we intend to increase the resources devoted to enforcement of the immigration laws over the next three years.
More detailed figures on those removed under the enforcement powers, covering illegal entrants as well as those removed under the deportation process, were published in "Control of Immigration: Statistics—Fourth Quarter and Year 1988" (Home Office Statistical Bulletin 10/89), a copy of which is in the Library.