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Immigration and Nationality Directorate
10. Angela Watkinson (Upminster) (Con): If he will make a statement on the relaxation of clearance standards in the immigration and nationality directorate. [162528]
The Minister for Citizenship and Immigration (Beverley Hughes): The hon. Lady is aware that an investigation is under way and a further statement will be made as soon as possible after it has been completed.
Angela Watkinson : Will the Minister comment on the accuracy of newspaper reports last week that, in dealing with a backlog of 29,000 citizenship applications, caseworkers were instructed to accept what people told them about their absences from this country and to dispense with checks on travel documents and passports? If so, is she concerned that there may be one person among those 29,000 people whose reasons for absence from this country may be more sinister than the explanation that they have given?
Beverley Hughes: We must all accept, that, under any Government, past or present, most Departments must take sensible measures to deal with backlogs. The important point is that those decisions must be based on a clear assessment of risk, proper research and clear information. The change to citizenship procedure is entirely different from the issue that occurred in Sheffield and is the kind of sensible measure that any Department would take. Staff suggested the change, which was risk assessed. They examined what people had written on their applications about holidays and business trips taken abroad in 100 randomly selected cases and found that in all those cases that information could be reconciled with those people's passports. It was clear that it was entirely safe to take at face value what was written on the application forms for that particular group of applications. That decision did not affect character checks, police crime checks, national security checks—where appropriate—or the examination of the full immigration history on all those cases. The measure is sensible and proportionate, and it is right to support it.
Dr. Vincent Cable (Twickenham) (LD): Following the revelations that the whistleblower from the immigration and nationality directorate was a political activist who had openly advocated the use of nuclear weapons against Muslim radicals, what steps is the Minister taking to ensure that in future her Department conforms to the standards of impartiality that one would expect of the civil service?
Beverley Hughes: The hon. Gentleman makes a valid point. No matter how rigorous one's recruitment and selection procedures, when one is appointing large numbers of people, it is possible that people who have
not declared particular points of view or allegiances will sometimes get through. I understand that Conservative Members in particular will want to exploit the issue, but it is regrettable that the leader of the Conservative party aligned himself very publicly with this individual without making the necessary checks as to whether he was a worthy person. It was no surprise when he had rapidly to distance himself the following day.Deployment of British Forces (Kosovo)
3.30 pm
Mr. Tam Dalyell (Linlithgow) (Lab) (Urgent Question): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the deployment of British forces in Kosovo.
The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence (Mr. Adam Ingram): Last week, there was an upsurge in violence in Kosovo that resulted in deaths in the ethnic Albanian and Serb communities, as well as hundreds injured, including some KFOR troops. Although Kosovo is now calmer, the potential for renewed violence remains. The troops who were already in Kosovo were heavily committed in dealing with the situation. Commander KFOR therefore took the decision to authorise the deployment of his in-theatre tactical reserves to assist with the situation. In addition, NATO issued instructions to reinforce KFOR with additional SFOR troops from Bosnia, including a UK company of 1st Royal Gurkha Rifles, a US company and a company from the Italian multinational support unit, the carabinieri.
In the early hours of Thursday 18 March, NATO called forward the operational reserve force ready battalion. The ready battalion role is one for which the UK has responsibility during the first six months of this year. The lead elements of the operational reserve force ready battalion—approximately 150 men—left RAF Brize Norton on Thursday afternoon and landed in Kosovo late that evening. The vast majority of the operational reserve force ready battalion of around 660 men has now deployed, with the 1st Battalion the Royal Gloucestershire Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment providing the core of the battalion group. Around 1,100 UK armed forces personnel are now deployed in Kosovo.
The purpose of the deployment is to restore calm to the province and to prevent unrest spreading to areas outside Kosovo—the type of task for which the operational reserve was designed. UK troops will, as tasked by Commander KFOR, conduct routine patrolling, the guarding of sites such as the UN mission, and public order duties. To call upon the in-theatre tactical reserve, followed by the operational reserve, then the strategic reserve, is the correct, graduated and planned response to such a situation. The fact that Kosovo has been calmer over the weekend shows that that was the correct decision.
Further to the deployment of the UK battalion, NATO has requested that an element of the NATO strategic reserve force, provided by a French battalion, should also be deployed to Kosovo. NATO has also requested the deployment of the three standby battalions that make up the full operational reserve force. Those battalions are provided by the US, Germany and Italy. The German battalion will, in the first instance, be deployed to Skopje, Macedonia. It is for NATO to determine for how long reserves will be required, but in terms of an initial estimate, and with the situation changing, we believe that a sensible course of action is to plan initially for a deployment period of about 30 days. The situation in Kosovo now appears calmer, although it is still tense.
With permission, Mr. Speaker, I should also inform the House that we have received preliminary reports of an incident involving British troops in Basra this morning. Right hon. and hon. Members will understand that the information remains incomplete. Initial reports indicate that two explosions took place. We have reports of injury to 13 British soldiers, although none is believed to be life-threatening. The process of informing next of kin is under way. It would be inappropriate to make any further comment at this stage.
Mr. Dalyell: I accept that it would be inappropriate to say anything about events in Basra.
As one who was the guest for four days during their deployment in Kosovo of my national service regiment, the Scots Dragoon Guards, may I ask the Minister to say something about the horrendous difficulty of the task that faces NATO troops, who are often the proverbial piggy-in-the-middle in the searing bitterness between Serb and Albanian? What can be done to prevent the ethnic cleansing of the Serbs? We do not have to give in—do we?—to the aspirations of those who want a Greater Albania.
My right hon. Friend referred to the holy sites. What can be done about the burning of the churches, which are genuinely important to European heritage? Is it sensible to talk in terms of imposing a corridor to the unique monastery at Gracanica, which is so important to Serbs anywhere in the world? What can be done to protect the nickel factory, which is the engine of Kosovo production, and help it to recover from the American bombing? Those who have been there know its importance in generating any sort of meaningful employment. It is a genuinely urgent matter.
Mr. Ingram: I am grateful to my hon. Friend for recognising the difficulty of the task. Any peacekeeping mission has attendant risks and Kosovo clearly ranks high in that. That is why the decision was made to deploy at short notice.
My hon. Friend asked about the future for Kosovo. Of course, that is matter for the discussions, which are at a very early stage. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office takes a lead in that and it is working on the best way to deal with the continuing process of trying to establish a stable set of relationships in the Balkans.
On sensitive sites and their protection, it is a matter for the commander of KFOR to make the best use of his troops; the judgment call rests with him. However, from my experience and that of my hon. Friend, there is an awareness of the sensitivity of specific sites and the way in which any attacks on them, whether people are present or not, can impact on the environment.
My hon. Friend made a point about the economy, although he particularised it by mentioning one factory. Kosovo's economy is in difficulties—I believe that unemployment is around 70 per cent.—but economic stability can be developed only on the back of a secure environment. They must go hand in hand. The more we can stabilise security, the greater the prospects for economic rejuvenation and regeneration in Kosovo.
Mr. Nicholas Soames (Mid-Sussex) (Con): I thank the Minister for bringing us the anxious news from Basra. I am sure that he will keep the House informed as matters develop.
Nobody should be under any illusions that we are considering the most serious crisis in the Balkans since the end of the Kosovo war. Last week's violence between the Kosovo Serb minority and the dominant ethnic Albanians was surprisingly swift and widespread. There is no doubt that it represents a major setback for the Kosovo peace process and the international community's efforts in the province. It was probably inflamed by extremists of what used to be the Kosovo Liberation Army. The importance of the quick and robust deployment should not be underestimated.
The stakes are high. The destabilisation of Kosovo would result in further and more serious bloodshed in the province and further instability in south-eastern Europe. We cannot afford that. The work done and the progress achieved must not be undermined. Will the Minister confirm that the NATO Secretary-General is visiting the province?
Will the Minister answer the following questions? I understand that 1st Battalion the Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment is providing the core of the operational reserve force battalion group. What is the length of that commitment likely to be? Who will replace the RGBW as the core spearhead battalion? Will he confirm that the deployed troops have been issued with a full complement of personal equipment, including enhanced combat body armour?
According to the Serbia and Montenegro army chief of the general staff's interpretation of the Kumanovo agreement between NATO and the then Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1999, the Serbia and Montenegro army could be allowed to return to Kosovo in exceptional circumstances. Can the Minister clarify whether that is really the case? Under what circumstances will that be allowed to happen?
What representations did NATO receive from the Serbia and Montenegro Defence Minister in Belgrade? How many NATO troops have been sent from Bosnia to Kosovo? Is the Minister confident that the security situation in Bosnia is stable enough to allow this temporary reduction in troop numbers? Furthermore, and importantly, what is his assessment of the effect that that will have on the EU takeover of the NATO SFOR operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina?
We are entirely confident that British troops will play a full and, as always, distinguished part in getting Kosovo back to normality. We wish them every success and a safe and prompt return.
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