Immigration (Hansard, 18 June 1990)

§ Mr. Madden
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will abolish the use of the primary purpose rule in considering applications for entry clearance to the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.

§ Mr. Peter Lloyd
No. We believe that the primary purpose rule continues to be necessary.

§ Mr. Madden
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applicants over 18 years, supporting their applications with positive DNA results, have(a) been granted entry clearance to the United Kingdom and (b) been refused entry clearance since June 1989; and if he will make a statement.

§ Mr. Peter Lloyd
Since June 1989, when my right hon. Friend the then Home Secretary announced the circumstances in which we would be prepared to waive the normal requirements of the Immigration Rules and admit reapplicants aged over 18 who could now establish their relationship by means of DNA evidence, entry clearance has been authorised in 34 such cases and refused in 76.

§ Mr. Madden
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will meet a deputation from Bangladesh Porishad, at Bradford, accompanied by hon. Members from Bradford, to discuss the matters contained in a letter to him from Bangladesh Porishad, dated 11 June.

§ Mr. Peter Lloyd
The president of Bangladesh Porishad accompanied the right hon. Member for Sparkbrook (Mr. Hattersley) and the hon. Member for Edinburgh, Central (Mr. Darling) to discuss immigration issues with my right hon. Friend the then Home Secretary and my right hon. Friend the Member for Mid-Sussex (Mr. Renton) in June 1989. Bangladesh Porishad has been offered a further meeting with officials.

§ Mr. Madden
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will arrange for all individual cases of entry clearance refusal submitted by Bangladesh Porishad in its letter to him of 11 June to be urgently considered.

§ Mr. Peter Lloyd
Those cases where an entry clearance application is outstanding will be considered and decided as soon as possible.

§ Mr. Teddy Taylor
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what charges will be made to Hong Kong residents seeking to take advantage of the provisions in section 1 of the British Nationality (Hong Kong) Bill; and if he intends to give guidance to the Governor on what his powers to fix charges will be.
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§ Mr. Peter Lloyd
The level of fees would be a matter for the Governor. Detailed work on the administration costs has yet to be completed, but on the basis of a preliminary estimate, the Hong Kong Government expect that the fees would not differ substantially from those currently prescribed in regulations under the British Nationality Act 1981—that is, £10 for application and £50 for registration.

§ Mr. Teddy Taylor
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the entitlement to United Kingdom benefits of Portuguese nationals from Macau coming to the United Kingdom after 1 January 1993.

§ Mrs. Gillian Shephard
I have been asked to reply.
Portuguese nationals from Macau coming to the United Kingdom after 1 January 1993 will have the same social security benefit rights, and be subject to the same eligibility conditions, as other EC nationals coming to the United Kingdom taking account, where appropriate, of regulation (EEC) No. 1408/71—co-ordination of EC member states' social security schemes for migrant workers and their families moving within the EC.