§ Mr. PaiceTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many of the illegal Chinese immigrants arrested in King's Lynn have been deported; [155545]
(2) how many of the illegal Chinese immigrants arrested in the Wirral in November 2002 have been deported; [155546]
(3) how many of the illegal Chinese immigrants arrested at Morecambe in August 2003 have been deported; [155547]
(4) what prosecutions have taken place in connection with (a) the arrest of Chinese immigrants in King's Lynn, (b) the arrest of Chinese immigrants in the Wirral in November 2002 and (c) the arrest of Chinese immigrants at Morecambe Bay in August 2003. [155548]
§ Beverley Hughes[holding answer 23 February 2004]: The Chinese Government has very strict conditions for re-documenting their citizens and will only accept their return once they have verified their exact identity. This causes problems for many countries that wish to repatriate Chinese illegal immigrants and failed asylum seekers, as those who do not wish to return are careful to conceal their true identity. Chinese officials seconded to the Immigration Service have recently provided assistance in identifying Chinese nationals to enable their return. We are now working on an arrangement to make this assistance permanent.
We have made it clear to the Chinese that we urgently need to find a solution to the problem of re-documenting those who continue to conceal their identity in order to frustrate return, and are working together to find a way forward to enable us to significantly increase returns to China.
My understanding is that activity by the Immigration Service on the Wirral in October 2002, in King's Lynn in the summer of 2003, and in the Morecambe Bay area in August 2003 has not led to any prosecutions against any individuals under immigration law. Although 120 Chinese nationals were interviewed by the Immigration Service on those occasions, they were not willing to provide evidence which could be used to support a prosecution against those who may have facilitated their entry into the United Kingdom or employed them illegally.
To date one of these Chinese nationals who had committed an immigration offence has been removed from the United Kingdom and two are in detention awaiting issue of travel documents and removal.
1143WThe Immigration Service is actively considering the status of the Chinese nationals apprehended on these three occasions who have not been removed to date and who are not legally in the United Kingdom.