Lord Nortonasked Her Majesty's Government:
What extra resources, by way of personnel and funds, have been allocated to the Immigration Centre in Croydon to clear the backlog relating to the issue of visas. [HL1245]
§ The Minister of State, Home Office (Lord Williams of Mostyn)The White PaperFairer, Faster, and Firmer—A Modern Approach to Immigration and Asylum set out our commitment to speeding up the decision-making process for asylum and other immigration casework. This includes the clearance of casework backlogs. As part of that commitment, we have provided for the Immigration and Nationality Directorate an additional £120 million over the three years from April 1999.
Staff numbers will be increased but the exact figures will depend on the needs and effectiveness of the Casework Programme in improving casework efficiency.