§ Mr. LoveTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many residents from the occupied part of Cyprus have been(a) granted and (b) refused a visa to visit the UK in each year since its introduction; and if he will make a statement. [127811]
§ Mr. MullinThe information requested is as follows:
Visitor visa applications Received Issued Refused Other 1998 7,819 7,286 413 120 1999 7386 6,900 452 34 2000 6,782 5,603 284 895 FY 2001–02 5,831 5,060 135 636 FY 2002–03 6,593 5,400 470 723 The column referring to 'other' may include those unresolved applications which have been deferred pending further inquiries and have been carried over to the following year. Applications may also be withdrawn during processing but still count as an application received. Posts are also required to count all applications received (for example, a mother and her three children on one passport may count as four applications but only one entry clearance may be issued). Not all of the applicants who apply in the "TRNC" are "Turkish Cypriots". From 2001 Posts began reporting statistics by financial rather than calendar year.