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Written Answers
Wednesday, 8th January 2003.
Zimbabwe: UK Visas
Lord Astor of Hever asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What instructions have been given to the High Commission in Harare regarding the granting of visas to visit or study in the United Kingdom and the political or quasi-political activities of applicants.[HL797]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Amos): The High Commission implements the rules governing visit and student visas. It and the FCO are working on a watch list of Zimbabwean nationals whose presence here may not be conducive to the public good. The list would be used on a discretionary basis to deny such people a UK visa.
Lord Astor of Hever asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What steps they have taken to consult non-governmental organisations and civil society groups in Zimbabwe and bodies such as the Accountability Commission in London to help determine whether there might be a good case prima facie for refusing certain visa applications.[HL798]
Baroness Amos: Our High Commission in Harare is in regular contact with NGOs and civil society groups in Zimbabwe.
The High Commission follows immigration laws fully in deciding whether an individual should qualify for a UK visa. In individual cases there may be grounds for additional screening of applicants' backgrounds and for withholding visas if their presence here is considered to be not conducive to the public good.
Lord Astor of Hever asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether consideration has been given to drawing up an advisory list of Zimbabwean nationals to whom, because of their known involvement in crimes of violence and political intimidation, visas to visit the United Kingdom should not be granted.[HL799]
Baroness Amos: The High Commission and the FCO are working on a comprehensive watch list of Zimbabwean nationals whose presence here may not be conducive to the public good. The list would be used, on a discretionary basis, to deny such people a UK visa.
Racist Incidents: Police Service
Lord Dholakia asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether police forces have been undertaking surveys of satisfaction for victims of racist attacks; and whether any national analysis of the satisfaction level is available.[HL605]
The Minister of State, Home Office (Lord Falconer of Thoroton): There is a new best value indicator for 2002–03 which requires police forces to undertake surveys to determine the level of victims of racist incidents who were satisfied with the police service when dealing with the incident. This information will not be collected centrally until after May 2003.
Taking Game without a Licence
Lord Marlesford asked Her Majesty's Government:
- How many prosecutions for taking game without a licence there have been in the most recent
12-month period for which figures are available.[HL697]
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: Taking game without a licence is an offence under Section 23 of the Game Act 1831. The number of defendants prosecuted for taking game without a game licence cannot be separately identified in information held centrally on the Home Offices's Court Proceedings Database, from the number of defendants prosecuted for the offences of laying poison to destroy game, taking or destroying eggs of game, killing game on Sunday or Christmas Day, killing game out of season and the occupier of land killing game without authority under Sections 3, 12 and 24 of the Act.
It is also an offence under the Game Licences Act 1860, but these similarly cannot be distinguished from other offences under this Act.
The number of defendants proceeded against for all the offences mentioned above under the Game Act 1831 during 2001 in England and Wales was seven and under the Game Licences Act 1860 was also seven.
Figures for Scotland show that there were nil and four defendants proceeded against under these statutes respectively during 2001.
The latest figures available for Northern Ireland relate to 1999, which show that no proceedings were taken under these statutes in that year.
Centrex
Baroness Hayman asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they have made any new appointments to the board of the Central Police Training and Development Authority (Centrex). [HL972]
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: We are pleased to announce the appointment of Professor David Croisdale-Appleby to the board of the Central Police
Training and Development Authority. Professor Croisdale-Appleby will be taking up his duties immediately.He is a visiting professor of strategic marketing and communications at Strathclyde University, and these skills will be of immense value to the board. He has extensive experience as a board member with various bodies, and has been a CEO of major international marketing and advertising businesses. He was recently invited by the Lord Chancellor's office to become a member of the Family Health Services Appeal Authority and for one year was seconded to run a firm of solicitors specialising in criminal and family law.
Professor Croisdale-Appleby joins the board at a time when Centrex is still finding its feet, having only been established as an executive non-departmental public body on 1 April last year. Centrex has a pivotal role to play in developing policing excellence, charged as it is with new police recruit training, and developing leadership skills within the police service. In addition to providing support and consultancy to forces, both domestic and international, on operational policing matters, Centrex is leading the way on alternative learning technologies through its new web-based learning portal. Centrex is also establishing the National Centre for Policing Excellence, which will identify and disseminate good policing practice, such as the new street crime knowledge map, and develop regulations and codes of practice for effective operational policing.
Exceptional Leave to Remain
Earl Russell asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether those whose exceptional leave to remain is not renewed will have the option of applying for naturalisation as British subjects.[HL726]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Filkin): We can see no circumstances in which people refused leave to remain could meet the criteria for naturalisation.
Citizenship Advisory Group
Baroness Anelay of St Johns asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What progress has been made by the committee chaired by Sir Bernard Crick on citizenship; when the committee will report to Ministers; and when the committee's report will be published.[HL761]
Lord Filkin: The advisory group chaired by Sir Bernard Crick is due to meet for the fifth time in mid-January 2003 and intends submitting an interim report to Ministers shortly thereafter. Sir Bernard has already consulted a number of interested parties and there will be a further round of informal consultation early in the new year. The group hopes to make a final report around Easter 2003.
Naturalisation Knowledge Requirements:Sign Language
Baroness Anelay of St Johns asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What discussions they have held with the British Deaf Association and the Royal National Institute for the Deaf about including sign language as a language, the sufficient knowledge of which could give a person the opportunity to make a successful application for naturalisation as a consequence of the implementation of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002.[HL762]
Lord Filkin: As mentioned in the letter I sent to the noble Baroness on 3 October, the British Deaf Association and the Royal National Institute for the Deaf were two of the organisations we consulted during the summer on the role of sign language in naturalisation knowledge requirements. As a result of these consultations we concluded that the best course was to waive these requirements for those with serious hearing disabilities.
Immigration Controls
Lord Tomlinson asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they have any plans to strengthen immigration control to ensure that people coming into the United Kingdom do so in accordance with the Immigration Rules.[HL973]
Lord Filkin: The Government are firmly committed to maintaining effective immigration controls and ensuring that genuine passengers are able to pass through our ports with the least possible delay.
For some years the number of Jamaican passengers being refused entry on arrival in the United Kingdom has been increasing—nearly 3,500, or 6 per cent, of arrivals last year. The number of Jamaicans who abscond having been given temporary admission is also unacceptably high—more than 150 a month during the first half of this year. These problems create enormous pressures for the Immigration Service but also lead to unacceptable delays and inconvenience for the great majority of genuine travellers from Jamaica. The situation can best be demonstrated by looking at the period leading up to Christmas. During the six weeks to 17 December 2002, 1,233 Jamaican nationals were refused entry at the UK's 12 busiest ports. This represented nearly 20 per cent of all refusals at those ports during that period. The only effective way of easing these problems is to ensure that Jamaican passengers have demonstrated that they qualify to enter the United Kingdom before they embark for this country. In the circumstances we have decided to impose a visa regime on all Jamaican nationals wishing to visit the United Kingdom.
We would want to provide reassurance that the presence of a visa regime should not be a bar to those Jamaican nationals who genuinely wish to visit the United Kingdom. The rules under which decisions are
made are the same whether that decision is made on arrival or before. This visa regime simply allows officials to consider the application before the passenger embarks for the United Kingdom. Providing greater certainty that a person has satisfied the Immigration Rules will also smooth the passage of genuine visitors through the immigration controls, giving advantage to all concerned.
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