§ Ms Oona KingTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many applications for entry clearance to visit the United Kingdom have been made at the British post in Havana in each of the last 10 years; and how many of those applications have been refused. [106869]
§ Mr. VazStatistics on visit visa applications processed by the visa section in Havana have been collated only since 1993. The figures are as follows:
Year Received Refused 1993 871 1— 1994 901 1— 1995 2,062 65 1996 1,455 63 1997 1,772 103 1998 2,026 94 1999 2,234 145 1 Not available The figures for refusals in 1993 and 1994 were not recorded. The 1999 figures are provisional: final statistics for 1999 are currently being compiled.
§ Mr. AllanTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many people were refused entry clearance to United Kingdom as visitors in 1998 on the grounds that the entry clearance officer did not believe that the applicant intended to leave the United Kingdom at the end of their visit. [106819]
§ Mr. Vaz"Intention to leave the UK" is one of the key tests in the Immigration Rules on which an ECO must be satisfied. Most short-term visit refusals will include this as one of the grounds for an application being unsuccessful. However, detailed information on the reasons for refusal is not collated centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.