HC Deb 28 January 1993 vol 217 cc788-9W
Mr. Peter Shore

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many additional entry clearance officer posts it is planned to create in Dhaka in 1993 and 1994.

Mr. Lennox-Boyd

Entry clearance staffing at posts abroad is based on current and forecast demand for entry clearances. We review such staffing at all posts during the first quarter of each year, and in the case of larger posts such as Dhaka, at quarterly intervals thereafter.

Mr. Peter Shore

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the present waiting time for first interview for the four categories of applicants in Dhaka, Bangladesh; and what were the waiting times for the same categories one year and two years earlier.

Mr. Lennox-Boyd

The waiting time in months for first interview waiting times at the end of 1992, 1991 and 1990 were:

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4
1992 3 6 7 9
1991 3 5 6 10
1990 2 3 3 9
Queue 1: Applicants with a claim to British citizenship, aged dependants over 70, compassionate cases;
Queue 2: Spouses and dependent children under 18;
Queue 3: Other dependants; fiance(e)s, others for settlement;
Queue 4: Reapplicants.

Mr. Peter Shore

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the current entry clearance officer staffing at the British high commission in Dhaka; and what is the full staffing complement.

Mr. Lennox-Boyd

The ideal entry clearance officer establishment in Dhaka is 12; there are currently 12 in post.

Mr. Peter Shore

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many entry clearance officers in Dhaka are immigration officers on secondment from the immigration service.

Mr. Lennox-Boyd

There are currently eight immigration officers on secondment as entry clearance officers in Dhaka.

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