My honourable friend the Minister of State for Borders and Immigration (Phil Woolas) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.

The Race Relations (Immigration and Asylum) (War Crimes etc.) Authorisation 2007 and the Race Relations (Nationality) (War Crimes etc.) Arrangements 2007 enable the Secretary of State to subject certain applications to more rigorous scrutiny than she subjects like applications from persons of other nationalities to, for the purposes of determining whether the applicant has committed, or been complicit in the commission of, or otherwise been associated with the commission of war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide. Copies of the authorisation have been placed in the Library.

The condition for subjecting these applications to more rigorous scrutiny is that the applicant is a national of a state specified on a list approved personally by the Minister for the purpose of the authorisation and arrangements. I have now reviewed and approved these lists in accordance with our commitment to do so annually.

The authorisation and arrangements will continue to be reviewed on an annual basis and will both remain in force until revoked.