A record number of new HIV cases were diagnosed in Britain last year.

There is an estimated 49,500 people living with HIV in 2002, an increase of 20 per cent on the previous year.

A third of these do not know they are infected, increasing the potential for further spread, according to the Health Protection Agency

"We cannot justify ignoring the health of those who apply to live permanently in the UK. Not conducting basic health checks for serious diseases such as TB or HIV both disadvantages the applicant and overloads the NHS," said shadow health secretary Tim Yeo.