HC Deb 29 March 1999 vol 328 c539W
Mr. Clappison

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many persons were arrested by immigration officers exercising a power of arrest under section 24(2) of the Immigration Act 1971 in the most recent year for which figures are available; [78652]

(2) how many persons were arrested by immigration officers exercising a power of arrest under section 25(3) of the Immigration Act 1971 in the most recent year for which figures are available. [78653]

Mr. Mike O'Brien

Immigration officers have hitherto used their powers of arrest under sections 24(2) and 25(3) of the 1971 Act sparingly, both as a matter of policy and because of the practical difficulties which arise because these powers do not have associated powers of search and entry. Information about the number of occasions on which these powers have been used is not recorded centrally and there is no requirement for it to be recorded locally.