§ Mr. MaddenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has made a formal complaint to the appellate authorities at their failure to formally advise his Department of their refusal to grant leave to appeal to the IAT in the case of Mrs. Bushra Ahmed (IMP A399195/2); what prompted the file to come to light in May 1991; and for what reasons Mrs. Ahmed, to date, has not been issued with a visa following his advice to the post to issue her with a visa on 31 May 1991.
§ Mr. Peter Lloyd[holding answer 23 January 1992]: The records kept by the immigration appellate authorities show that copies of the immigration appeals tribunal's determination refusing the Home Office leave to appeal against the adjudicator's decision to allow Mrs. Ahmed's appeal were sent out on 30 January 1990. It appears, however, that the determination was not at that stage received by the Home Office presenting officer. He noticed this in December 1990 when the file was brought forward by the procedures intended to track the progress of appeals. Unfortunately there was then some further delay within the Immigration and Nationality Department, which despite investigation cannot be accounted for, before the determination was forwarded to the high commission in Islamabad on 31 May 1991. I understand that the adjudicator's determination allowing Mrs. Ahmed's appeal arrived at the high commission on 12 June 1991 but there was then a clerical error and the papers were put away before a visa was issued.
The high commission wrote to Mrs. Ahmed on 16 December 1991 inviting her to call in to collect her visa. To date she has not done so and a further invitation was sent on 23 January.
I greatly regret the combination of errors which led to the issue of a visa to Mrs. Ahmed being so badly delayed. Officials are examining the procedures which are followed in such cases, in order to prevent any recurrence.