Our reference: Your reference:
LIKK 243/2
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY
07 MAY 1985
DESK OFFICEM
INDEX
A Gordon Esq
N6/18
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Voluntary Services Unit
HOME OFFICE
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Queen Anne's Gate, LONDON, SW1H 9AT
REGISTRY
Action Taken
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Derartment of the Environment
2 Marsham Street
LONDON
Direct line: 01-213 6398 Switchboard: 01-213 3000
30 April 1985
Ente
Regey Pater, pl..
(SCORRI)
copies Parliamentary
HKD
UND
Unit
SW1
Dear Mr Gordon
Ps) Mr. Lue
Mr. Hartland-Fran
funt 245
HOME AFFAIRS COMMITTEE REPORT "REFUGEES AND ASYLUM, WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE VIETNAMESE",
The report of the Home Affairs Committee was published on 18 April. Most of what it says applies directly to the Home Office, and we will obviously be taking the lead in replying. Our Immigration and
Our Rawsthorne Nationality Department will do the necessary work on parts I and III, said he thought only one Whitepage hould be published.
But from ar ponit. of view lithe
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arrangement
should be ok
and VSU is assuming responsibility for the rest. Our response might he published in two stages, ie parts I and II together, and III separately.
Attached as an Annex to this letter is a list of recommendations (except for ones relating to refugee status or immigration procedures) which attempts to assign responsibility for producing contributions to the Governments response to the report. You will see that Recommendations ? - 13 (a copy of the whole Table of Recommendations" is enclosed? are of direct concern to MSC, to whom I have written separately. I doubt that we can meet the ideal target of replying to the report within two months but, so as not to overshoot that target by too much, I would hẹ grateful if contributions could reach me by the end of May.
While it would be convenient for individual Departments, and MSC, to begin work on some of their individual contributions it does seem to
us that it would be useful if we could get together - certainly you, ourselves, DHSS and DES to talk about how we handle recommendations 16, 17, 18 and 20. I will ask my Secretary to see if a mid-May date can be found.
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You may find it useful in the meantime to have an indication of our preliminary thought on what we might say to Home Office Ministers on Part 2. Basically, we feel that the Committees assessment of the con- tinuing plight of the Vietnamese is well founded. This does not mean that we can afford to do all that the Committee recommends, or think that they have necessarily struck the right balance between the needs of the Vietnamese and others. However, our line will be to suggest making as positive a response as resources allow.
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