§ Lord Aveburyasked Her Majesty's Government:
Why the immigration authorities at Heathrow Terminal 3 told an Asylum immigrant (reference TN3/96/80865) who applied for political asylum on 9th July 1996 that there was not sufficient time for him to contact his lawyer before they conducted a substantive interview, rather than granting him temporary admission and deferring the interview, when they knew that the applicant had been without sleep for more than 24 hours; why they said that if he declined to be interviewed in the absence of his lawyer, this would be recorded in the notes as a refusal to be interviewed; why the interview took over six hours, with a single interval; why the interviewing officer handed over to a colleague who had not been present before some way into the interview; and why the interview was still continued after the applicant, in being asked whether he felt well, replied that he was exhausted.
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§ Baroness BlatchThe matters raised by the noble Lord are being investigated following a complaint by the passenger's representatives on 22nd July. I shall write to the noble Lord when the investigation has concluded.