§ Mr. ShoreTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many spouses seeking entry clearance in Dhaka have been refused in each of the past four years; and what percentage they form of the total number of such applicants.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydThe number of spouses' entry clearance applications refused in Dhaka and the percentage of the total numbers of such applications during 1991–93 is:
Year Total spouse applications Spouses refused Percentage 1991 1,852 301 16 1992 2,614 414 16 1993 2,446 501 20 Comparable data are not available for earlier years.
§ Mr. ShoreTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many officers have worked in Dhaka in each of the last four years.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydThe number of entry clearance officers in Dhaka in each of the last four years is:
- 1993—12+1 temporary duty
- 1992—16+2 temporary duty
- 1991—18
- 1990—16
§ Mr. ShoreTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what has been the average monthly number of refusals in the period since the abolition of appeals for visitors from Bangladesh; and what percentage they represent of the total number of applications.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydThe average monthly number of refusals of entry clearance applications for visitors from Bangladesh for the period July 1993 to May 1994 was 297. This represents 24.7 per cent. of the average monthly number of visitor applications. The comparable figure for the period August 1992 to July 1993 was 258, 22.3 per cent.
§ Mr. ShoreTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many appeals were rejected in each month in the year prior to the abolition of appeals for visitors from Bangladesh; and what percentage they represent of the total number of applications.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydAvailable information on appeals relates to those against a refusal of entry clearance for temporary purposes. The number of such appeals by citizens of Bangladesh which were dismissed by adjudicators in the period August 1992 to July 1993 were:
236W
Number 1992 August 47 September 75 October 134 November 43 December 69 1993 January 105
Number February 65 March 49 April 52 May 43 June 60 July 40 782 During the period August 1992 to July 1993, 13,870 such applications were made, of which 3,091–22.3 per cent.—were refused; 782 of those refused lodged appeals. Of that 782, 74 per cent. were dismissed, 13 per cent. withdrawn and 13 per cent. allowed.
The figure for appeals dismissed therefore equates to 5.6 per cent. of the total number of visit applications received in Dhaka.