1163
Written Answers
28 JULY 1989
Written Answers
1164
1
whether the recent research by the Farm Animal are Council on the effects of tenderisers on cattle has been considered by his Department; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Curry [holding answer 27 July 1989]: I am not aware of any research by the council on the effects of tenderisers. Research was carried out by veterinary officials into the effects of the injection of the vegetable enzyme papain on the live animal. This indicates that traces of it remain in the meat after slaughter but that it will evaporate during cooking. Papain is a natural vegetable protein which in any case would be destroyed by the normal digestive juices. The results of the research were taken into account in reaching a decision on its use.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Immigration
Mr. Darling: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how long a person applying for entry clearance for settlement at the British post in (a) Manila, (b) Accra, (c) Lagos, (d) Kingston, (e) Nicosial and (f) Cairo on 31 March or the latest convenient date could expect to wait for (i) interview, (ii) referral of the case to the Home Office and the requested information being received by the post, (iii) decisions and (iv) an explanatory statement prepared by the post in the event of an appeal against a refusal to be dispatched to the immigration appellate authorities in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Sainsbury: The information requested at (ii) and (iii) is not available. Processing times vary according to the circumstances of individual cases.
As to (i) and (iv) the position at 15 July was as follows:
Manila
Accra
Lagos
Kingston Nicosia
Cairo
(i)
7 weeks
5 weeks
1 week 16 weeks Normally same day (but 12 weeks for non-residents) Normally same day
(iv)
within 3 months within 3 months within 2 months within 2 months within 7 days
within 10 days
Mr. Darling: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how long a person applying for entry clearance on 31 March or the latest convenient date at each post in the Indian sub-continent could expect to wait, in each queue, for (a) first interview, (b) referral of the case to the Home Office and the requested information being received by the post, (c) decision after first interview, and (d) for the explanatory statement prepared by the post in the case of appeal against any refusal to be dispatched to the immigration appellate authorities in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Sainsbury: (a): I refer the hon. Member to the reply to the hon. Member for Leicester East (Mr. Vaz) on 17 July.
(b) and (c): This information is not available. Processing times vary according to the circumstances of individual cases.
(d): Average despatch times of explanatory statements from receipt of an appeal are:
588 CW10/100 Job 22-17
Non-Settlement
Settlement
a
Dhaka Karachi New Delhi Madras
12 weeks
12 weeks
t
15 weeks
5 weeks
€
23 weeks
18 weeks
4-6 weeks
4-6 weeks
5 weeks
5 weeks
6 weeks
4 weeks
12 weeks
12 weeks
Calcutta Islamabad Bombay
Mr. Darling: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many applications for naturalisation as British dependent territories citizens on the basis of a connection with Hong Kong have been (a) received, (b) granted and (c) refused for each year since 1985 and to the nearest available date.
Mr. Maude:
Maude: The figures for applications for naturalisation as British dependent territories citizens on the basis of a connection with Hong Kong are as follows:
Period
Received
Approved
Refused
1985
844
701
151
1986
861
759
98
1987
1,233
807
70
1988
1,016
1,074
60
11989
811
604
37
1 January to June.
Mr. Darling: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British dependent territories citizens from Hong Kong have (a) applied for and (b) been granted the status of British National (Overseas).
Mr. Maude: A total of 70,268 applications for British national (overseas) passports have been received, of which 68,909 have been granted. The remainder are still being processed.
Mr. Darling: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many explanatory statements related to entry clearance appeals were awaiting typing at (i) each post in the Indian sub-continent, (ii) in Manila, (iii) Lagos and (iv) Accra, on the latest available date; how many staff are employed, both full-time and part-time, to type statements; and when he expects any backlogs to be cleared.
Mr. Sainsbury: The information requested is given in the following table (as at 15 July):
Karachi Islamabad Dhaka New Delhi
Madras
Calcutta
Bombay
Асста
Manila Lagos
(a)1
(b)2
38
60
13
233
5
50
Nil
4
28
9
(1)
40
Nil
1 and (4) 2 and (4)
1 Numbers of explanatory statements awaiting typing.
2 Staff whose duties include typing explanatory statements (staff employed on other typing work shown in brackets).
The backlog in Dhaka is due to recruitment problems and will be cleared as soon as the typing establishment is at full strength.