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Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what information he has about local authorities which do not intend to renew their participation in ET schemes.

Mr. Nicholls : My right hon. Friend is aware of the following local authorities which will not be renewing their participation in employment training :


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Wolverhampton metropolitan borough council

Cleveland county council

Leicester city council

Similar action is expected by Mansfield district council.

European Social Fund

Mr. McCrindle : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what is the increase in the level of central Government funding from the European social fund in 1989 over 1988 ; and if he will make a statement ;

(2) what is the split in Britain's European social fund allocation between central Government and the voluntary sector ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Eggar : For 1988 the European Commission allocated over £215 million to programmes run by central Government. For 1989 the allocation was £236 million while around £26 million was allocated to the voluntary sector. We view the continued support of the European Commission through the European social fund as of great importance in our efforts to improve training opportunities and combat unemployment.

Social Charter

Dr. Goodson-Wickes : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he supports health and safety in the workplace provisions contained within the social charter.

Mr. Eggar : The Council of Ministers has recently adopted a European Community directive, setting out a framework for health and safety in the workplace, which we supported. This broadly mirrors our own Health and Safety at Work etc. Act. We are continuing discussions on a number of directives dealing with specific areas.

The Government have made it clear that they see no point in the Commission's proposal for a Communitywide social charter.

Prices and Wages

Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the percentage by which (a) the retail prices index and (b) the average wage level has increased in each EEC country, the United States of America, Japan, Sweden, the EEC and the Organisation for Economic Co- operation and Development as a whole since the start of 1988.

Mr. Eggar : The dates for which information has been compiled vary a great deal between countries so it is impossible to make a comparison which is both comprehensive and up-to-date. All the available information is given in tables 5.9 and 6.8 of the Employment Gazette, which is available in the Library.

Random Omnibus Survey

Mr. Strang : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list (a) all the questions relating to employment that were asked in the survey carried out by NOP Market Research Limited in the NOP random omnibus survey in the two weeks from 22 February and (b) the detailed answers that were given to these questions ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Nicholls [holding answer 17 April 1989] : The main findings of the survey were set out in the Green Paper


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"Removing Barriers to Employment" (Cm 655) published on 20 March 1989. I regret that I was unable to provide the hon. Member with a full reply on 17 April. Detailed analyis of the data is still taking place and a full analysis will be published in an article in the Employment Gazette later in the year.

Mr. Strang : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment when he intends to give a substantive reply to the question from the hon. Member for Edinburgh, East concerning the NOP random survey, tabled for priority written answer on 17 April ; what are the reasons for the delay in answering ; and what is the longest interval between the asking of a priority written question and its answer by his Department in this Parliament.

Mr. Nicholls [holding answer 26 June 1989] : I regret I was unable to give the hon. Member a full reply on 17 April or 26 June. I have answered the hon. Member's question of 17 April today.

Benefit Claimants

Mr. Terry Davis : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many persons in the west midlands region were disqualified from receiving unemployment benefit during the period 1 January to 31 March because they were considered to have left their employment voluntarily without just cause and were disqualified for the maximum period of 26 weeks.

Mr. Eggar [holding answer 26 July 1989] : For the period 1 January to 31 March 1989, the number of persons in the west midlands region who were disqualified for receiving unemployment benefit because they were considered to have left their employment voluntarily without just cause was 4,471.

Information requested on the number of claimants disqualified for the maximum period of 26 weeks is not collected. However, the Department of Social Security has undertaken a survey to establish the proportion of claims which are disqualified for the maximum period, including those disqualified for leaving employment without just cause. An initial analysis of a sample of cases indicates that the full 26-week period is imposed in less than two thirds of the cases. The information obtained from the survey is still being analysed and will be published in full shortly.

Agriculture Inspectors

Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many farms on average each agricultural inspector has within his responsibility ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Nicholls : The Health and Safety Executive's agricultural inspectorate has approximately 272,000 farm premises on its records. The inspectorate targets its visits according to hazard and the programme of inspections is concentrated on those premises where the hazard is greatest. In 1988-89 the inspectorate made a total of 30, 303 farm inspections.


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Disabled People (Transport and Holiday Accommodation)

Mr. Butterfill : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what plans his Department has to improve transport and holiday accommodation for the disabled ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Nicholls [holding answer 27 July 1989] : My Department, through the English tourist board, contributes funding (£35,000 in 1989-90) to the holiday care service. In conjunction with the English tourist board, the holiday care service has published a series of booklets giving advice to hotel and guesthouse proprietors on providing for disabled visitors.

The "Tourism for All" working party, set up by the English tourist board in 1988, is due to issue its report in September this year, which will make recommendations on improvements in holiday provision for disabled and disadvantaged people. The report will include sections on transport and accommodation.

Product Design and Development

Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is his estimate of the number of direct and indirect jobs in product design and development lost since 1979 and the number of jobs now threatened as a result of the increase in (i) import penetration, (ii) the import content of exported goods and (iii) the number of branch plants of overseas companies ; and what is his estimate of the reduction in the number of such jobs since 1970 and 1979, respectively.

Mr. Forth [holding answer 27 July 1989] : I have been asked to reply.

No information is available on the number of jobs in product design and development. The economy gains from the exchange of goods and services and from the two-way flow of investment. It cannot be assumed that increased imports and inward investment result in a loss of jobs.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Fire Service (Pay and Conditions)

Dr. Hampson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what response he has received from the national joint council for local authorities' fire brigades in answer to his request that a joint national joint council and Home Office working party should be set up to examine pay and conditions of service within the fire service ; and if he will make a statement on the pay and conditions of service of the fire service.

Mr. John Patten : The chairman of the national joint council has recently written to my right hon. and noble Friend, enclosing a letter from the joint secretaries of the council which indicates its willingness to accept an ad hoc working party jointly constituted by the Home Office and the national joint council.

We wish to see the national joint council examine, fairly and with an open mind, the conditions of service-related issues raised by the Audit Commission's paper on value for money in the fire service, including rigid employment conditions. We also wish to see the council consider whether the current fire service pay formula represents the best way forward for the future.


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Durham Prison

Mr. Frank Field : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners are (a) involved in day-time education classes and (b) attending evening classes in Durham H wing.

Mr. Peter Lloyd : In Durham H wing in the week ending 21 July there were eight prisoners attending morning day-time classes and a further eight prisoners attending afternoon day-time classes. Two evening classes, each with a maximum attendance of six, are held each night during the week. The weekly total of 10 classes offers 60 student places ; all places are taken up, with some prisoners attending more than one evening class.

Allowance Books (Theft)

Mr. Thurnham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many instances of the theft of Department of Health and Social Security allowance books have occurred during each of the last three years in (a) the United Kingdom and (b) the Bolton area ; and how many prosecutions have been made as a result.

Mr. John Patten : This information is not available centrally.

Immigration

Mr. Darling : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how he proposes to deal with over-age applicants from the Indian sub- continent (a) whose applications have already been refused on the grounds that they do not qualify under the immigration rules, (b) whose appeals have been dismissed on the above grounds and (c) whose appeals have been deferred pending his announcement on the use of DNA evidence in such cases.

Mr. Renton : Where an application for entry clearance has been refused, and any appeal dismissed, that application cannot be reopened. The case can be reconsidered only in the context of a fresh application for entry clearance.

Where a person previously refused entry clearance as a child on relationship grounds is able to establish relationship by means of DNA evidence, but is now over 18 and does not qualify for admission under paragraphs 55 or 56 of the immigration rules, the reapplication will be considered in accordance with the policy which my right hon. Friend announced on 14 June at column 463.

When an application for entry clearance or an appeal against refusal had not been finally determined by 14 June, the case will be reviewed in accordance with the terms of my right hon. Friend's statement (if applicable) without the need for a fresh application. In some such cases, it may be necessary to arrange a further interview by the entry clearance officer to establish the applicant's present circumstances before a decision can be reached.

Mr. Darling : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) husbands, (b) wives and (c) dependent children have been refused (i) extension of stay and (ii) settlement in the United Kingdom on the grounds that the Secretary of State is not satisfied that they can be maintained and accommodated without recourse to public funds.


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Mr. Renton : The available information relating to after-entry cases is given in the following table. Information on dependent children is not readily available.


Decisions on husbands and wives applications in 1988 under HC 503   

"Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules"                         

                                          Number                    

                                         |Husbands|Wives            

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Refusals to grant initial extension of                              

  leave to remain                                                   

on grounds of                                                       

  (i) Accommodation                      |7       |2                

  (ii) Maintenance                       |8       |4                

  (iii) Maintenance and                                             

       accommodation                     |11      |5                

                                                                    

Refusals of settlement after the initial                            

  12 months extension                                               

General considerations, including                                   

  recourse to public funds (para 98                                 

  HC 503)                                |18      |-                

Mr. Darling : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many applications for (a) single entry and (b) multiple entry visit visas were (1) received, (2) granted and (3) refused at each post in the Indian sub-continent, Ghana, Nigeria and Jamaica in each quarter of 1988 and the first quarter of 1989 ; and what was the delay between application and interview for those whose applications were felt to need a second or long


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interview at each of the above posts in (i) June 1988, (ii) January 1989 and (iii) June 1989 or the nearest available date ;

(2) how many applications for entry clearance in order to seek asylum in the United Kingdom were (a) received and (b) granted by country during 1988 and the first quarter of 1989.

Mr. Renton : I shall write to the hon. Member and deposit a copy of the reply in the Library.

Mr. Darling : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications from over-age reapplicants from the Indian sub- continent seeking to join a sponsor settled in the United Kingdom have been (a) made, (b) deferred, (c) refused and (d) granted since 1986 ; and how many such reapplicants in each category had undergone successful DNA tests.

Mr. Renton : The information requested is not available centrally.

Mr. Darling : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many nationals of (a) Jamaica, (b) Turkey, (c) Morocco, (d) the United States of America, (e) Australia, (f) Malaysia, (g) Hong Kong, (h) Guyana, (i) Trinidad, (j) Colombia and (k) Algeria were (i) granted and (ii) refused permission to enter the United Kingdom at ports of entry in each quarter since January 1987 to the nearest available date.

Mr. Renton : The information is given in the following table :


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Total passenger admissions and those refused leave to enter and removed by selected nationalities                                                                                                                                                    

Numbers                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

                          First quarter                           Second quarter                          Third quarter                           Fourth quarter                          Total                                                      

                         |Admissions         |Refused and removed|Admissions         |Refused and removed|Admissions         |Refused and removed|Admissions         |Refused and removed|Admissions         |Refused and removed                    

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1987                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

Jamaica                  |5,910              |54                 |6,880              |45                 |12,300             |61                 |6,430              |109                |31,600             |269                                    

Turkey                   |12,100             |227                |14,300             |265                |20,400             |302                |16,100             |623                |62,900             |1,417                                  

Morocco                  |3,070              |96                 |3,430              |105                |8,510              |324                |4,720              |275                |19,700             |800                                    

United States of America |399,000            |267                |772,000            |242                |945,000            |298                |503,000            |243                |2,620,000          |1,050                                  

Australia                |58,600             |30                 |104,000            |35                 |124,000            |54                 |73,000             |33                 |359,000            |152                                    

Malaysia                 |10,600             |107                |16,100             |91                 |23,200             |131                |15,000             |113                |64,900             |442                                    

Hong Kong (BDTCs)        |12,100             |98                 |12,700             |96                 |24,900             |59                 |11,600             |57                 |61,300             |310                                    

Guyana                   |890                |12                 |1,240              |3                  |2,500              |8                  |1,060              |4                  |5,680              |27                                     

Trinidad and Tobago      |2,980              |6                  |4,280              |8                  |7,870              |8                  |3,400              |9                  |18,500             |31                                     

Colombia                 |2,980              |67                 |5,070              |110                |6,710              |80                 |3,510              |85                 |18,300             |342                                    

Algeria                  |4,120              |185                |4,150              |167                |8,250              |487                |4,560              |361                |21,100             |1,200                                  

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

1988                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

Jamaica                  |5,760              |82                 |6,900              |95                 |11,700             |116                |6,300              |131                |30,600             |424                                    

Turkey                   |15,300             |393                |15,200             |380                |22,500             |653                |16,100             |786                |69,100             |2,212                                  

Morocco                  |3,070              |166                |3,630              |294                |8,020              |649                |4,620              |353                |19,400             |1,462                                  

United States of America |413,000            |267                |680,000            |261                |843,000            |273                |547,000            |281                |2,480,000          |1,082                                  

Australia                |56,700             |22                 |101,000            |38                 |126,000            |47                 |83,100             |42                 |367,000            |149                                    

Malaysia                 |11,100             |93                 |15,100             |156                |22,600             |124                |15,200             |128                |64,000             |501                                    

Hong Kong (BDTCs)        |12,900             |76                 |12,500             |126                |24,200             |61                 |10,700             |33                 |60,300             |296                                    

Guyana                   |870                |7                  |1,190              |5                  |2,340              |8                  |1,230              |7                  |5,640              |27                                     

Trinidad and Tobago      |3,260              |12                 |3,670              |4                  |7,130              |7                  |3,290              |19                 |17,300             |42                                     

Colombia                 |3,070              |89                 |4,830              |193                |5,940              |126                |3,510              |111                |17,300             |519                                    

Algeria                  |3,990              |324                |3,970              |339                |7,460              |1,005              |3,830              |677                |19,300             |2,345                                  


1989 first quarter                                                              

                    |Admissions         |Refused and removed                    

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jamaica             |6,230              |236                                    

Turkey              |17,000             |618                                    

Morocco             |3,520              |253                                    

USA                 |442,000            |261                                    

Australia           |72,400             |35                                     

Malaysia            |12,400             |93                                     

Hong Kong (BDTCs)   |14,500             |33                                     

Guyana              |1,080              |11                                     

Trinidad and Tobago |3,260              |18                                     

Colombia            |3,320              |116                                    

Algeria             |4,120              |391                                    

Mr. Darling : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many notices have been issued to each airline under the Immigration (Carriers' Liability)


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Act 1987 in each quarter since March 1988 ; how much money has accrued as a result ; and how many such notices have been contested by each airline.

Mr. Renton : Information on the record of individual airlines under the Act is a matter of confidentiality. The total number of notices issued to carriers (ie airlines and sea operators) in each quarter since March 1988 was as follows :


Quarter ending    |Number of notices                  

------------------------------------------------------

30 June 1988      |758                                

30 September 1988 |1,415                              

31 December 1988  |1,064                              

31 March 1989     |1,345                              

30 June 1989      |1,616                              

                  |-------                            

Total             |6,198                              

A total of £1.822 million has been received in respect of these notices, and representations have been made by carriers in 1,317 cases.

Mr. Darling : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many outstanding immigration applications there are at Lunar house ; what time savings in dealing with applications from (a) students, (b) family members in the United Kingdom applying for variation of stay, (c) settlement entry clearance applications referred from overseas posts and (d) asylum-seekers have been achieved by recent changes in procedures and practice ; and what are the average times applicants in each category might expect to wait before a decision.

Mr. Renton : I shall write to the hon. Member and deposit a copy of the reply in the Library.

Mr. Darling : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were received into prison establishments under Immigration Act powers during (a) 1987 and (b) 1988, by individual prison establishment ; what was the average daily population of persons so detained in each of those years ; what was the average length of time spent in detention by persons so detained in each of those years ; and whether he will give a breakdown by nationality of persons so detained for each of those years.

Mr. Peter Lloyd : Information about detainees received into prison service establishments in England and Wales under the Immigration Act 1971 in 1987 is given by establishment and nationality in the tables. Similar information for 1988 is not yet available.

The average population and the average length of detention of such detainees in prison service establishments in 1987 were published in tables 1.1 and 6.6 of "Prison Statistics England and Wales" (Cm. 547), a copy of which is in the Library. The average population in 1988 was 146. The average period of detention in 1988 is provisionally estimated as about seven weeks.


Receptions of persons detained under the Immigration Act 1971  

into Prison Service establishments in England and Wales in     

1987:                                                          

by establishment                                               

Establishment                      |Number<1>                  

---------------------------------------------------------------

Remand centres                                                 

Ashford                            |2                          

Brockhill                          |3                          

Cardiff                            |1                          

Glen Parva                         |3                          

Hull                               |1                          

Latchmere House                    |827                        

Low Newton                         |2                          

Manchester                         |1                          

Risley                             |11                         

Winchester                         |2                          

                                                               

Prisons                                                        

Bedford                            |7                          

Birmingham                         |51                         

Bristol                            |16                         

Brixton                            |7                          

Camp Hill                          |1                          

Canterbury                         |34                         

Cardiff                            |11                         

Chelmsford                         |1                          

Dorchester                         |3                          

Durham                             |6                          

Foston Hall                        |92                         

Gloucester                         |2                          

Highpoint                          |1                          

Holloway                           |15                         

Hull                               |17                         

Leeds                              |16                         

Leicester                          |34                         

Lincoln                            |3                          

Oxford                             |1                          

Pentonville                        |34                         

Reading                            |3                          

Shrewsbury                         |1                          

Swansea                            |1                          

Winchester                         |10                         

Wormwood Scrubs                    |1                          

                                                               

Others                                                         

Erlestoke                          |90                         

                                   |---                        

All Prison Service establishements |1,311                      

<1> The figures are those recorded centrally and are           

approximate, detailed checking of individual cases would       

involve disproportionate cost.                                 


Receptions of persons detained under 

the Immigration Act 1971             

into Prison Service establishments   

in England and Wales in 1987: by     

nationality                          

Nationality                          

-------------------------------------

Nigeria                              

Ghana                                

Sri Lanka                            

India                                

Bangladesh                           

Turkey                               

Iran                                 

Pakistan                             

Algeria                              

Morocco                              

Cyprus                               

United States of America             

West Indies<2>                       

Afghanistan                          

Hong Kong                            

Colombia                             

Libya                                

Ethiopia                             

France                               

Italy                                

South Africa                         

Zimbabwe                             

Egypt                                

Lebanon                              

Sierra Leone                         

Sudan                                

Other countries<3>                   

Not recorded                         

                                     

All nationalities                    

<1>The figures are those recorded    

centrally and are approximate:       

detailed checking of individual      

cases would involve disproportionate 

cost.                                

<2>Includes other Commonwealth       

countries in the Americas.           

<3>Where fewer than five were        

recorded.                            

Mr. Darling : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many representations (i) he and (ii) immigration officers received from Members of Parliament during (a) the first quarter of 1988 and (b) the first quarter of 1989 to delay the removal of passengers refused entry at British ports of entry ; and, for both periods, how many representations resulted in (i) the delay of the passenger's removal for up to a week, (ii) the delay of the passenger's removal for more than a week and (iii) reversal of the immigration officer's decision.

Mr. Renton : In the first quarters of 1988 and 1989 representations received by Ministers resulted in deferment of removal in 382 and 54 cases respectively. I regret that the rest of the information requested is not available centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.


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Mr. Darling : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many wives and dependent children applying for entry clearance in the Indian sub-continent in each quarter since January 1988 were refused (a) on first application and (b) on second or subsequent application.

Mr. Renton : Quarterly information up to the end of 1988 on the total numbers of wives and children in the Indian sub-continent refused entry clearance to the United Kingdom is published in table 7 of Cm 726, "Control of Immigration : Statistics, United Kingdom, 1988" a copy of which is in the Library. In the first quarter of 1989, 130 wives and 270 children were initially refused entry clearance. Separate information on first-time applicants and re-applicants is not available centrally.

Mr. Darling : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (1) British nationals and (2) holders of certificates of identity from Hong Kong have been admitted to the United Kingdom in each quarter since January 1988 as (a) persons of independent means, (b) self-employed persons, (c) business people, (d) visitors, (e) students, (f) husbands and fiance s, (g) wives and fiance es and (h) other dependent relatives.

Mr. Renton : The available information is given in the following table for BDTCs from Hong Kong. Reliable figures of admissions of stateless persons from Hong Kong are not available.


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Admissions to the United Kingdom of British dependent territories citizens (BDTCs) from Hong Kong         

Number of persons                                                                                         

Admission category                                        1988                        Year   1989         

                                                         |Q1    |Q2    |Q3    |Q4           |Q1           

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Visitors                                                 |4,950 |6,350 |11,700|5,200 |28,200|6,260        

Business visitors                                        |1,340 |1,370 |1,390 |1,140 |5,230 |1,400        

Students                                                 |350   |280   |4,720 |1,010 |6,360 |360          

Passengers returning                                     |4,920 |3,350 |4,560 |2,300 |15,100|5,060        

Work permit holders and dependants                       |50    |70    |180   |60    |350   |70           

Husbands and fiances                                     |<1>   |10    |10    |10    |40    |10           

Wives and fiancees                                       |<1>   |10    |30    |20    |70    |30           

In transit, Diplomats and officials and their dependants |1,140 |910   |1,460 |900   |4,410 |1,210        

Settlement on arrival                                    |60    |60    |120   |70    |300   |40           

Others                                                   |60    |60    |120   |70    |300   |40           

                                                         |---   |---   |---   |---   |---   |---          

  Total                                                  |12,900|12,500|24,200|10,700|60,300|14,500       

<1> Fewer than 10.                                                                                        

Mr. Darling : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his current policy on enforcing deportation decisions against genuine students who have been found to be working in breach of their conditions of entry; what criteria he uses to define a genuine student for these purposes; and whether he will list the colleges which he does not recognise as providing courses of study for overseas students acceptable under the immigration rules.

Mr. Renton : Any overseas student who wishes to work during his free time of vacations may do so by obtaining the requisite permission from the Department of Employment. Each case in which a student is found working without such permission is considered on its individual merits : as required by the immigration rules, the case for deportation is considered in the light of all known relevant factors, of which the genuineness of the studies will be of particular significance. As a general rule, however, it is not our practice to remove genuine students under the deportation powers unless their offences are serious or persistent. A genuine student in this sense is one


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who at the time meets the requirements of the immigration rules for the grant of leave to enter or remain as a student. The immigration and nationality department does not maintain a list of colleges which are or which are not acceptable for immigration purposes. However, in dealing with individual applications and so on from students, account is taken of any material which is available to the Department about the circumstances of, and courses offered by, the colleges concerned. Case workers are made aware of such material by means of internal notices which form part of the staff instructions for dealing with cases : such instructions are not published.

Mr. Darling : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average time taken by his Department to investigate cases referred from overseas posts in order to assess whether the maintenance and accommodation requirements of the immigration rules have been met.

Mr. Renton : Inquiries into whether the maintenance and accommodation requirements of the immigration


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rules are met may be conducted either by correspondence or by interviewing the sponsor (usually when other matters also need to be investigated). Information on the average time taken to complete these inquiries is not available. Where an interview is required, the objective remains, as stated in my reply to a question from the hon. Member for Stretford (Mr. Lloyd) on 23 March 1989 at column 809, to carry out interviews within three months of receipt of papers in the United Kingdom.

Mr. Darling : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for British citizenship under section 4(5) of the British Nationality Act 1981 have been (a) made, (b) granted and (c) refused ; and how many of those granted have been on the grounds of service in the armed forces.

Mr. Renton : The information covering the period January 1983 to 21 July 1989 is as follows :


F

                          |Servicemen|Others    |Total                

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Received                  |53        |499       |552                  

Granted                   |52        |9         |61                   

Refused                   |-         |487       |487                  

Withdrawn                 |1         |-         |1                    

Still under consideration |-         |3         |3                    

Note: The numbers in the first column are former servicemen in Hong   

Kong as described in the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for 

Lewisham, East (Mr. Moynihan) on 23 April 1986 at columns 147-48.     

Mr. Darling : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for entry clearance as (a) wives, (b) husbands, (c) fiance s, and (d) fiance es in each British post in all countries apart from those in the Indian sub-continent were (i) granted and (ii) refused in each quarter since January 1988 ; how many such applications in each category, at each post and in each quarter were refused (1) wholly and (2) partly because of the primary purpose rule ; what was the refusal rate at each post ; and what percentage of those refusals were (x) wholly and (y) partly on primary purpose grounds.

Mr. Renton : The only information requested which is available centrally is that on applications granted and refused in Hong Kong. Information for the fourth quarter of 1988 onwards is given in the table ; for information for the first three quarters of 1988, I refer the hon. Member to my reply to him on 20 December 1988 at columns 179-80.


Applications in Hong Kong for entry clearance to the United                

Kingdom                                                                    

Number of persons                                                          

                      Applications                                         

                     |Granted<1>       |Refused initially                  

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wives                                                                      

  1988 4th quarter   |40               |-                                  

  1989 1st quarter   |40               |-                                  

                                                                           

Husbands, fiances<2>                                                       

  1988 4th quarter   |10               |-                                  

  1989 1st quarter   |20               |-                                  

                                                                           

Fiancees                                                                   

  1988 4th quarter   |10               |-                                  

  1989 1st quarter   |10               |-                                  

<1>Granted initially or on appeal.                                         

<2>Data for husbands and fiances separately are not available.             

Mr. Darling : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many applications for entry


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clearance from (a) wives, (b) husbands, (c) fiance s, and (d) fiance es made at British posts in (1) New Delhi, (2) Bombay, (3) Calcutta, (4) Madras, (5) Dhaka, (6) Islamabad, (7) Karachi, and (8) Colombo for each quarter since January 1988 to the nearest available date were (a) received, (b) granted and (c) refused ; how many refusals at each post were (i) wholly and (ii) partly because the visa officer was not satisfied that the primary purpose of the marriage was not immigration ; how many refusals at each post were (i) wholly and (ii) partly because the visa officer was not satisfied that the couple could support and accommodate themselves without recourse to public funds ; what was the refusal rate at each post and what percentage of those refusals was (x) wholly and (y) partly on primary purpose grounds ;

(2) how many applications for settlement by wives and children in (i) Dhaka and (ii) Islamabad were (a) received, (b) granted, (c) refused, (d) deferred at first interview, (e) lapsed and (f) outstanding and awaiting first interview for each quarter since the beginning of 1988.

Mr. Renton : I shall write to the hon. Member and deposit a copy of the reply in the Library.

Mr. Darling : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the (a) passengers in total and (b) persons treated as illegal entrants who were granted temporary admission in 1988, subsequently absconded.

Mr. Renton : In 1988 a total of 401 passengers absconded, either from detention or by failing to respond to the terms of temporary admission. The corresponding figure for illegal entrants is 124. The distinction between those absconding from detention and those failing to respond to the terms of temporary admission/temporary release is not centrally recorded and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Mr. Darling : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many passengers seeking political asylum in (a) 1986, (b) 1987, (c) 1988 and (d) 1989 up the nearest available date were granted temporary admission ;

(2) whether he will provide a breakdown by nationality of the number of passengers seeking political asylum who were detained under Immigration Act powers in 1988 in (a) prison department establishments and (b) immigration detention accommodation.

Mr. Renton : The information requested is not available centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Mr. Darling : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many people were detained (a) overnight and (b) for a period of more than one month in (1) Harmondsworth detention centre, (2) the Queen's building, Heathrow, (3) the Beehive Gatwick, and (4) Latchmere house during 1988 ;

(2) what was the total number of passengers detained overnight under Immigration Act powers during 1988, by nationality.

Mr. Renton : The readily available information relates to the number of passengers whose detention spanned at least one night pending further examination on their admission to, or their removal from, the United Kingdom


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and is given in the tables. The remaining information is not available in the form requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.


?

Table 1: Passengers<1> detained overnight in certain locations,

 1988                                                          

Location                                     |Number           

---------------------------------------------------------------

Harmondsworth                                |<2>3,688         

Queen's Building                             |1,475            

Gatwick South (virtually all at the Beehive) |2,458            

<1> Excluding illegal entrants and deportees.                  

<2> Some passengers who were detained elsewhere prior to being 

detained at Harmondsworth are excluded.                        


Table 2                                                                         

Passengers<1> detained overnight,                                               

by nationality and geographical region: 1988                                    

Nationality/Geographical      |Number<2>                                        

region                                                                          

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                                                                                

Belgium                       |2                                                

Denmark                       |2                                                

France                        |32                                               

German Federal Republic       |10                                               

Greece                        |3                                                

Italy                         |9                                                

Luxembourg                    |-                                                

Netherlands                   |7                                                

Portugal                      |275                                              

Spain                         |126                                              

                              |-------                                          

European Community            |466                                              

                                                                                

Western Europe                                                                  

Austria                       |13                                               

Cyprus                        |99                                               

Finland                       |3                                                

Malta                         |8                                                

Norway                        |15                                               

Sweden                        |14                                               

Switzerland                   |16                                               

Turkey                        |1,626                                            

Yugoslavia                    |214                                              

                              |-------                                          

Western Europe                |2,008                                            

                                                                                

Eastern Europe                                                                  

Bulgaria                      |3                                                

Czechoslovakia                |4                                                

German Democratic Republic    |5                                                

Hungary                       |17                                               

Poland                        |41                                               

Romania                       |-                                                

USSR                          |3                                                

                              |-------                                          

Eastern Europe                |73                                               

                                                                                

Americas                                                                        

Argentina                     |9                                                

Barbados                      |20                                               

Brazil                        |196                                              

Canada                        |29                                               

Chile                         |30                                               

Colombia                      |187                                              

Cuba                          |-                                                

Guyana                        |11                                               

Jamaica                       |193                                              

Mexico                        |45                                               

Peru                          |30                                               

Trinidad and Tobago           |21                                               

USA                           |273                                              

Uruguay                       |1                                                

Venezuela                     |11                                               

                              |-------                                          

Americas                      |1,056                                            

                                                                                

Africa                                                                          

Algeria                       |1,144                                            

Egypt                         |61                                               

Ethiopia                      |19                                               

Ghana                         |420                                              

Kenya                         |87                                               

Libya                         |25                                               

Mauritius                     |61                                               

Morocco                       |423                                              

Nigeria                       |792                                              

Sierra Leone                  |83                                               

Somalia                       |94                                               

South Africa                  |43                                               

Sudan                         |45                                               

Tanzania                      |40                                               

Tunisia                       |110                                              

Uganda                        |427                                              

Zambia                        |23                                               

Zimbabwe                      |31                                               

                              |-------                                          

Africa                        |3,928                                            

                                                                                

Indian sub-continent                                                            

Bangladesh                    |371                                              

India                         |517                                              

Pakistan                      |586                                              

                              |-------                                          

Indian sub-continent          |1,474                                            

                                                                                

Middle East                                                                     

Iran                          |211                                              

Iraq                          |91                                               

Israel                        |64                                               

Jordan                        |13                                               

Kuwait                        |2                                                

Lebanon                       |110                                              

Saudi Arabia                  |12                                               

Syria                         |9                                                

Middle East                   |512                                              

                                                                                

Remainder of Asia                                                               

China                         |9                                                

Indonesia                     |5                                                

Japan                         |91                                               

Malaysia                      |188                                              

Philippines                   |37                                               

Singapore                     |43                                               

Sri Lanka                     |274                                              

Thailand                      |35                                               

BDTC Hong Kong                |97                                               

Remainder of Asia             |779                                              

                                                                                

Australasia                                                                     

Australia                     |28                                               

New Zealand                   |17                                               

Australasia                   |45                                               

                                                                                

British Overseas citizens     |31                                               

Other countries not elsewhere                                                   

  specified                   |422                                              

Stateless                     |276                                              

All Nationalities             |11,070                                           

<1>Excluding illegal entrants and deportees.                                    

<2>The figures include a small amount of double counting when a passenger is    

detained at more than one location.                                             

Mr. Darling : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons detained under Immigration Act powers applied to the Home Office to be allowed to depart voluntarily under the supervised departure provisions of the immigration rules in each quarter since January 1988.

Mr. Renton : The readily available information on the numbers of persons removed under the supervised departure procedures is published in table 14 of the statistical bulletin issue 23/89 "Control of Immigration Statistics--First Quarter 1989", a copy of which is in the


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Library. Most of these persons would have been detained prior to departure. A number would have been subject to restrictions as an alternative to detention but such cases could be separately identified only at disproportionate cost.

Mr. Darling : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons were recommended for deportation with no custodial sentence during 1988 ; and in how many such cases the courts directed release (a) subject to conditions and (b) without conditions.

Mr. Renton : During 1988, a total of 152 persons were recommended for deportation by the courts with no custodial sentence. The courts directed release subject to restrictions in 44 cases and without restrictions in 66 cases.


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