asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT details of the total number of illegal immigrants detected during the year ended 31st December 1973, showing how many of them have been permitted to remain in the United Kingdom and how many have been deported or are awaiting deportation.

Statistics of illegal entrants for January to September 1973 were included in the quarterly immigration statistics placed in the Library of the House in December. The figures for the fourth quarter of 1973 should be available in February.