§ Mr. MaddenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will arrange to revoke all exclusion orders which exclude citizens normally resident in Northern Ireland from entering the rest of the United Kingdom; how many such people are currently subject to such exclusion orders; how frequently such orders require renewal; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. HowardMy right hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced last Friday that I had that day revoked the orders excluding Mr. Gerry Adams and Mr. Martin McGuinness from Great Britain, that other exclusion orders would remain in place for the time being, and that my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State492W for Northern Ireland would keep the need for them under review. It is the Government's hope that the day is approaching when exclusion orders will no longer be needed but we are not prepared to lower our guard prematurely.
There are currently 72 orders in force, of which 62 have been made by myself and my predecessors and 10 by my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. All orders expire after three years unless revoked earlier. Of the 62 Home Office orders, 55 involve exclusion from Great Britain and seven exclusion from the United Kingdom.