CONFIDENTIAL
establishment of a body independent of the immigration tribunals for hearing appeals on the determination of refugee status.
17 UK financial contributions in support of the work of the UNHCR are met from the aid programme. In the past ten years we have been among the top five donor countries in terms of total contributions! In 1979 we contributed £6 million to the general programme and £1.633 million to special appeals for new situations In 1980 our contribution to the general programme was reduced to £5 million and we have so far pledged £1.35 million to special appeals. But with the continuing increase in the budget and as UNHCR attracts more donors from other regions, the UK is likely to slip from its traditional position. Although UNHCR had hoped to reduce the number of special appeals, this has not proved possible and our small contingency fund has not been able to meet the demands placed upon it. This year we have contributed to appeals for Zimbabwe, Pakistan and Somalia but not so far to
Kampuchean refugees in Thailand, the Refugee Processing Centre in the Philippines or Chadian refugees in Cameroons.
18 The UK also contributes to UNHCR's work by taking refugees for permanent resettlement. Over the years we have accepted thousands directly from Hungary, Latin America and more recently Indo-China and each year we grant refugee status to hundreds of individual asylum seekers. In addition we accepted some 30,000 Asians from East Africa although as British subjects they were not strictly refugees. Our record compares favourably with other countries with only the US, Canada and perhaps France surpassing us. UNHCR estimates that at present about 150,000 refugees enjoy asylum in Britain. Since 1978 we have offered three quotas for Vietnamese boat people of 116, 1,500 and (in July 1979) 10,000, the latter to be taken entirely from Hong Kong. In addition we have accepted many refugees rescued at sea by British vessels, although we now look at each case (shipload) on its merits and no longer give an automatic guarantee. Our hope is that the country of the first port of call can be prevailed upon to accept them. So far 9,500 Indo-Chinese refugees have been resettled in the UK with a further 4,500 still to come from Hong Kong. But we are constantly under pressure from the High Commissioner to offer a new quota. His understanding was that the July 1979 quota was fo
CONFIDENITAT.