371
Immigration
[Mr. Raison.]
Immigration
372
373
4 DECEMBER 1979
primary immigration. That is import-
the purpose of immigration is reasonable. After all, that is not what arranged mar- riages exist to provide.
Arranged marriages are not intended to create the opportunity for people to move to another country. There may be deep seated cultural reasons for them, but we are not tackling that problem. It seems to me that the requirement that two people should have met before they marry is eminently reasonable. Whatever we may think of arranged marriages, I doubt whether it is right to have an arranged marriage when the partners have never mct. In recent weeks I have met large numbers of Asian women. Many of them, when describing what they regard as a satisfactory arranged marriage, agreed that the bride and bridegroom should meet before marriage. We in the Home Office, and in our posts overseas, receive heartrending letters from girls who do not wish their fiances to be allowed in.
Mr. Cyril Smith: How many?
Mr. Speaker; Order. The hon. Mem- ber for Rochdale (Mr. Smith) knows that it is wrong to shout from a sedentary posi- tion when someone else is speaking. I call the Minister to continue.
Mr. Cyril Smith: How many letters did the Minister receive? Did he-
Mr. Speaker: Order. It is clear that the Minister is not giving way.
Mr. Raison: We shall consider care- fully the points made in the debate. This has been a debate about a White Paper, not about the final rules. While our posi- tion may unquestionably offend some people in terms of theory or theology in practice it is based on common sense realities.
ant.
Our package will not satisfy everyone in every respect. I recognise that. Hav- ing listened to the debate. I realise that some of my hon. Friends would have liked
a great deal more and others would have liked less. I claim that our proposals will effect a significant reduc- tion in the number of immigrants. They will help to contain the possibility of large scale future migration into this country.
I return to the issue of husbands and fiancés. We must recognise that in Bangla- desh, for example, there is no great demand by husbands and fiancés to be allowed to come here. The figures are small. That is because of the period in which the migration occurred and the young marriageable age group came on to the scene.
Our proposals tackle real abuses. That was made clear by my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary, who said that the proposals get to grips with the problem of overstaying, which will be one of our principal difficulties in the future.
I am certain that, above all, the pro- posals maintain our pledges to wives and families. I believe that we have got it right. To pull this package to pieces would be damaging to immigration policy and race relations. This issue has aroused deep feelings. Immigration always does that. We have a chance to move away from the prolonged wrangle and to move on to a period of positive race relations, about which my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary has spoken so often and so eloquently. I ask the House to support the White Paper and to reject the Oppo- sition amendment.
Question put, That the amendment be made:
The proposals will not result in great hardship. Exceptional cases of hardship can be dealt with under the discretion of the Home Secretary. Our proposals will help to seal off an avenue of 296.
Division No. 117]
Adams, Allen
Allaun, Frank
Alton, David
Anderson, Donald
Archer, Rt Hon Peler
Armstrong, Rt Hon Ernes!
Ashley, Rt Hon Jack
Ashton, Jos
Atkinson, Norman (H'gey, Tott'ham) Barnett, Quy (Greenwich)
16 K 34
AYES
The House divided: Ayes 251, Noes
Barnett, Rt Hon Joel (Heywood) Beith, A. J.
Benn, Rt Hon Anthony Wedgwood Bennett, Andrew (Stockport N) Bidwell, Sydney
Booth, RI Hon Albert Boothroyd, Miss Belty
Bottomley, Rt Hon Arthur (M'brough)
Bray, Dr Jeremy
Brown, Hugh D. (Provan)
[10 pm
Brown, Robert C. (Newcastle W) Brown, Ron (Edinburgh, Leith) Buchan, Norman Callaghan, Rt Hon J. (Cardiff SE}
Callaghan, Jim (Middleton & P) TO
Campbell, lan
Campbell-Savours, Dale
Canavan, Dennis
Cant, R. B.
Carler-Jones, Lewis
な
Cartwright, John
Immig
Clark, David (South Shiel Cocks, Rt Hon Michael (B Cohen, Stanley
Coleman, Donald
Concannon, Al Hon J. D. Cowans, Harry
Crowther, J. S. Cryer, Bob
Cunliffe, Lawrence Cunningham, George (Isli Dalyell, Tam Davidson, Arthur Davies, Rt Hon Denzli (LI: Davies, Ifor (Gower) Davis, Clinton (Hackney C Davis, Terry (B`rm'ham, S Deakins, Eric
Dean, Joseph (Leads Wes Dempsey, James Dewar, Donald Dixon, Donald Dobson, Frank Dormand, Jack Douglas, Dick Douglas-Mann, Bruce Dubs, Alfred Duffy, A. E. P.
Dunn, James A. (Liverpool Dunnett, Jack Dunwoody, Mrs. Gwyneth Eadie, Alex
Eastham, Ken Edwards, Robert (Waly SE) Ellis, Raymond (NE Derbys Ellis, Tom (Wrexham) English, Michael Ennals, RI Hon David Evans, loan (Aberdare) Ewing, Harry
Field, Frank Fitch, Alan Flannery, Martin
Fletcher, L. A. (likeston) Fletcher, Ted (Darlington) Foot, Rt Hon Michael Ford, Ben
Forrester, John Foulkes, George
Fraser, John (Lambeth, No Freeson, Rt Hon Reginald Freud, Clement Garrett, John (Norwich S) Garrett, W. E (Wallsend) George, Bruce
Gilbert, Rt Hon Dr John Ginsburg, David Golding, John Gourlay, Harry Graham, Ted
Grant, George (Morpeth) Grant, John (lelington 0) Grimond, Rt Hon J. Hamilton, James (Bothwell] Hamilton, W. W. (Central P Harrison, Rt Hon Walter Hart, Rt Hon Dame Judith Hattersley, Rt Hon Roy Haynes, Frank
Healey, Rt Hon Denis Heffer, Eric S.
Hogg, Norman (E Dunbarto Holland, Stuart (L'beth, Vau Home Robertson, John Homewood, Wilkam
Adley, Robert
Alexander, Richard
Allson, Michael
Amery, Rt Hon Julian
Ancram, Michael
Arnold, Tom
Aspinwall, Jack
Atkins, Rt Hon H. (Spélihori
16 K 35