HC Deb 24 July 1989 vol 157 cc489-91W
Mr. Cohen

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list for each of the past five years, and the figure for the current year to date, of refusals to enter the United Kingdom in which primary purpose is part or the whole reason for(a) husbands, (b) wives, (c) fiancés and (d) fiancés seeking entry to join their partners with existing rights of stay in the United Kingdom, for each immigration post abroad.

Mr. Renton

The information requested is available only for posts in the Indian subcontinent and is given in the following table. Where the numbers are small, the figures for individual posts have been combined. Information on refusals which takes account of successful appeals is not compiled for periods shorter than 12 months.

Spouses and fiance(e)s in the Indian sub-continent refused1 entry clearance to the United Kingdom solely or partly because the primary purpose of the marriage was to obtain admission to the United Kingdom
Number of persons
11984 1985 1986 1987 1988
New Delhi (including Calcutta)
Husbands 80 50 120 110 100
Fiances 320 230 270 190 170
Wives 2 2 10
Fiancees 20 40 50
Bombay (including Madras)
Husbands 60 50 110 120 100
Fiances 120 150 210 160 160
Wives 2 10 10
Fiancees 2 20 20
Dhaka
Husbands 20 50 30 30 80
Fiances 2 2 10 2 10
Wives 20
Fiancees 2 2
Islamabad (including Karachi)
Husbands 70 50 120 270 480
Fiances 310 320 350 320 430
Wives 2 2 10
Fiancees 2 20 2
Total Indian sub-continent
Husbands 230 190 370 530 760
Fiances 750 710 840 680 770
Wives 10 20 40
Fiancees 30 80 80
1 Data for 1984 relate to person refused initially; data for subsequent years take account of successful appeals.
2 Five or fewer.

Mr. Fraser

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many immigration inspectors are employed by his Department and where each is based; what is the comparable rank of(a) an immigration inspector and (b) officials taking decisions on deportation or leave to remain (i) in Lunar house and (ii) elsewhere within the Home Office; and what grade officer was required to take a decision to make a deportation order before he delegated his deportation decision-making functions to immigration inspectors.

Mr. Renton

[holding answer 17 July 1989]: On 30 June 1989, 52 immigration inspectors were in post at the following locations:

Number
Immigration Service Headquarters 10
Heathrow Terminal 1 4
Heathrow Terminal 2 4
Heathrow Terminal 3 4
Heathrow Terminal 4 4
Intelligence Unit, Harmondsworth 3
Technical Unit, Harmondsworth 1
Appeals Unit, Harmondsworth 1
Training Unit, Harmondsworth 1
Gatwick 4
Gatwick North 2
Isis House 2
Glasgow 1
Leeds Bradford Airport 1
Manchester 1
Birmingham 1
Harwich 1
Dover East 3
Dover West 2
Southampton 1

Number
Cardiff 1
Total 52

The level at which decisions are taken in immigration cases varies according to the complexity of the type of case. However, decisions to issue a notice of intention to deport under section 3(5)(a) of the Immigration Act 1971 may be taken by officials of at least inspector level in the immigration service (whose grade equivalent is senior executive officer) or at least higher executive officer level in the deportation section. Similar decisions under section 3(5)(b) and (c) may be taken at not less than senior executive officer level in the deportation section. Decisions to grant further leave to remain may be taken by officials of at least administration officer level in the Immigration and Nationality Department; and decisions to refuse leave to remain may be taken at not less than executive officer level. The levels at which decisions are taken in the deportation section remain the same as they were before the decision to delegate certain functions to immigration inspectors.