§ Mr. StrawTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what are the reasons for the delay in issuing entry clearance in respect of Mr. Musafar Hussain (Shah) of Pakistan who wishes to visit Mr. Khalid Hussain Shah of 158 St. James Road, Blackburn since the determination by the adjudicator on 7 March 1990 to allow issue of the entry clearance and the refusal of the immigration appeal tribunal on 19 June 1990 to give leave to appeal to the immigration authorities;
(2) if he will set out in detail what steps his Department took following the discovery that a copy of the determination of the adjudicator in the matter of the appeal of Mr. Musafar Hussain (Shah) of Pakistan had been sent to the High Commission Islamabad but had not been received by them.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydAs the hon. Member will be aware from the letter I wrote to him on 12 February 1991, I asked the Home Office to arrange for another copy of the adjudicator's determination to be sent to the High Commission in Islamabad. I have just learned that this second copy was never received. I very much regret this further unfortunate delay, in view of which the Home Office has instructed the High Commission to issue a visit visa to Mr. Hussain immediately.
§ Mr. StrawTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to ensure that decisions of the appellate authorities to allow issue of entry clearance are promptly complied with by entry clearance officers in British posts abroad.
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§ Mr. Lennox-BoydIn the majority of cases when an adjudicator allows an appeal, entry clearances are issued as a matter of course. These Procedures are periodically reviewed.
Regrettably, given the very large number of cases handled, delays do sometimes occur and when such problems have been identified clear guidance has been issued. Both the Foreign Office and the Home Office are satisfied that the present guidelines are being followed and that significant improvements in the handling of the vast majority of allowed appeal cases have been achieved. We will continue to monitor these procedures closely.
§ Mr. StrawTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he proposes to give compensation where the issue of entry clearance certificates is unreasonably delayed by his Department or British posts abroad.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydIt is not Her Majesty's Government's practice to pay compensation in entry clearance cases.
§ Mr. BlunkettTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the number of visas granted and the number of refusals, arising from interviews undertaken in Islamabad for entry into Britain on 4, 11, 18, 20 and 27 April.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydOn 18, 20 and 27 April, the British High Commission in Islamabad was closed, 18 April being a religious holiday, 20 and 27 April falling on a Saturday.
The number of visas issued and refused on 4 April and 11 April were as follows:
Number 4 April Issued 134 Refused 29 11 April Issued 139 Refused 52