Abolition Of Appeal Rights

EDM number 296 in 1993-94, proposed by Graham Allen on 16/12/1993.

That this House notes the first anniversary of the Conservatives' proposal to abolish the right of appeal against refusals of visitors' visas, which has hit hard at black British and Asian British families with relatives seeking to attend christenings, weddings and funerals; condemns as weak and ineffectual the new monitor appointed by the Government to look at refusals; further notes that in 1992, 2,519 wrongful decisions on short-term visa refusals were overturned after the right of appeal, an error rate of one in five of all decisions, and that under the new arrangements such people have no means of redress; deplores the fact that the new monitor will not be able to overturn even the most blatantly wrong decisions, that it will consider the cases of a small and random sample and that individuals denied a visa will not be able to initiate monitoring; recognises that the monitor appointed by the Secretary of State is no substitute for proper appeal rights; and believes that appeal rights for all those refused a visitor's visa should be re-established.

This motion has been signed by a total of 67 MPs.