§ Lord Hyltonasked Her Majesty's Government:
Why the Dover office of the United Kingdom Immigration Advisory Service was closed in July 1988 after 18 years, given that 16 million people passed through the Channel ports in 1989; and whether plans exist for replacing this office.
§ Viscount UllswaterThe United Kingdom Immigrants Advisory Service is an independent organisation and decisions on the location of its offices are primarily a matter for the organisation itself. However, I understand that the closure of the Dover office in 1988 was part of a package of economy measures designed to respond to a budget deficit. Workloads at the office declined considerably following the closure of the appeal hearing centre there in 1985.