§ Mr. ClappisonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to introduce the stamping of visas to indicate when they have been used. [78689]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienNone. The stamping of visas would slow down the immigration control process. One of the aims of the planned reforms set out in the Immigration and Asylum Bill is to develop a flexible and streamlined system of immigration control to enable bona fide travellers to pass through more quickly. We have 553W made provision in the Bill for measures to be introduced to achieve these aims and, in particular, to provide for the issue of a visa or other entry clearance to have the effect of also granting leave to enter. In taking these flexibility measures forward, we will be looking at greater simplification of visa processes and how these and our operations in general might be improved by technological developments in immigration control.