§ 52. Mr. Hurdasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what progress is being made in discussions with other Governments on the all-round reduction of passport visa fees; and if he will publish details of the fees charged by other countries and by the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. EdenNo such discussions are in progress. At various international conferences held under the auspices of the League of Nations and the United Nations, the last of which was held at Geneva in 1947, recommendations were made that visa fees should be kept as low as possible and that 10 gold francs for an entry visa and 1 gold franc for a transit visa were reasonable charges. United Kingdom fees have been fixed on that basis.
A complete and up-to-date list of fees charged by other countries is not available, but I will send my hon. Friend a list of the countries whose nationals are charged fees varying from the standard rate under the powers referred to in the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Shrewsbury (Mr. Langford-Holt) on 11th February.