TNAG-1069-FCO40-1319-Resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-in-the-UK-1981 — Page 101

III JULY STATISTICS

6 Ms Bayley introduced the latest statistics and highlighted the points of interest. It was estimated that between 250- 350 extra housing units were required to accommodate those in reception centres and those still to come into the country from the quota or known boat resuces. It seemed that whilst the prospects of housing being available in the long term seemed fairly good the immediate prospects were not. The exception was South Wales where housing was available and Ockenden looked. like filling five units which BCAR had been unable to use. It appeared that there was a determination amongst refugees in BCAR centres not to resettle in Wales.

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7 It was confirmed that the figures contained in Table B of the statistics did not take account of secondary resettlements outside the UK. In certain circumstances there might be a degree of political sensitivity in referring to the number of refugees in the country as being over 15,000 (15,127 at the end of July). If the numbers subsequently resettled outside the UK was significant and brought the number of refugees below 15,000 there would be advantages in being able to say this. Precise numbers were important also from the point of view of the level of medium-term support which was required. It was agreed that the agencies would attempt to determine from their records the number of refugees who had left the UK for secondary resettlement.

Action

Agencies

JCRV

IV

FAMILY REUNIONS AND ORDERLY DEPARTURES.

(i) Family Reunions

JCRV 40

For

8 Introducing his paper, Mr Hodgetts said that the tightening by the Home Office of criteria over family reunions was causing considerable distress amongst refugees already settled in the UK and the voluntary agencies had a responsibility to remedy this. Many refugees had been told in Hong Kong that Britain was sympathetic to family reunions but they had not appreciated the difference between the two concepts of "family". example, particular problems were experienced where families took a cousin into their household and to all intents they became part of those families. They were not formally adopted by them, however, and consequently they were not considered to be strictly part of the new families. At the recent highly successful SCOR conference on refugees and mental illness, the role of the family in helping refugees to overcome the trauma of their experiences was recognised and it was therefore vital that the compassionate exercise of discretion should be adopted towards those cases identified by the agencies as being critical.

9 In Ockenden's view, some of the applications for reunion which had been approved when the criteria were less rigid had less valid reasons for admission than certain of the current applicants who would possibly be refused. Ockenden were in the process of re-interviewing to see whether any of those already granted entry visas had since died or moved to other countries.