To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when a decision is to be taken by the post in Islamabad on the application of Mr. Rashad Mahmood, who was born in 1968, Ref. IASP/P/40627; serial No. 81159, to join his wife in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.

In accordance with the guidelines on the handling of representations by Members of Parliament in immigration cases, issued to Members on 14 December 1988, I have referred the question to the correspondence unit of the migration and visa department of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The hon. Member will receive a reply from the unit as soon as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the post in Islamabad adopted a policy of expediting settlement applications in cases when DNA test results were positive and there were no other factors affecting an application being considered; and if he will make a statement.

In Islamabad, or at any other overseas post where a DNA test is undertaken, first-time applicants producing DNA-positive evidence are dealt with in their turn in the queue. As I stated in my letter of 21 December 1989, re-applicants producing DNA-positive evidence are fast-streamed when:

(i) there is no issue to address other than confirmation of the claimed relationship, for example, in right-of-abode cases; or

(ii) proof of relationship confers British nationality on other members of the same family; in such cases, in order to keep families together, applications for entry clearance and British passports are considered at the same time.

Where, however, other requirements of the immigration rules need also to be satisfied, such as support and accommodation, re-applicants will continue to wait their turn in Q4.These arrangements have been in force since the early part of last year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the post in Islamabad received instructions to issue a passport to Shamim Ayaz, Ref. H 162359; Imm/15031, enabling him to join his father in the United Kingdom; how many times Shamim Ayaz has been invited to call at the post in Islamabad; why he has not, to date, been issued with a visa; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department on 8 January to the hon. Member.