§ Mr. FearnTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to reduce the cost of entry visas to the United Kingdom. [4015]
§ Mr. Tony LloydI have been asked to reply.
We continually look at ways to make efficiency savings to enable us to reduce entry clearance fees. Fees, which are set to recover the cost of processing an application world wide to minimise the burden on the taxpayer, are reviewed annually. The standard single entry fee has not been increased since January 1995. The current fees, introduced on 10 June 1997, include a reduction in the cost for a five year multiple entry visa.