HC Deb 18 October 2001 vol 372 c1298W
Ms Oona King

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many applications for entry clearance as(a) spouse and (b) fiancée were received at British posts around the world in each of the last five years; and how many of those applications were refused because the entry clearance officer was not satisfied that the couple intended to live together permanently. [8078]

Mr. Bradshaw

Records do not distinguish between those applications submitted by spouses or fiance(e)s and other settlement categories. Nor are refusal reasons collated. To ask all the 165 Entry Clearance Posts to provide this information now would require them to carry out a manual search of their records. This could be done only at disproportionate cost.