HC Deb 17 December 2001 vol 377 cc88-9W
Mr. Nigel Jones

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the application from Mrs. Susan Crwys-Williams, a constituent of Cheltenham, sent by recorded delivery (Ref: RB 13663205GB) on 15 October, for indefinite leave to remain in the United Kingdom as a spouse of a UK citizen, will be logged on the system of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate; when he expects a decision to be made on her application; and what compensation is payable by his Department to those applicants who have purchased air tickets in advance to travel abroad at Christmas on the expectation that applications will be dealt with in the time period advertised. [22141]

Angela Eagle

The application has been decided. Mrs. Crwys-Williams' passport and other documents were returned by recorded delivery on 7 December.

Compensation will not normally be offered to applicants who have made travel plans in the expectation that their application would be completed within any particular time scale. Information on the application form and the Immigration and Nationality Directorate website about the likely time scales for processing applications is intended for guidance only and should not be taken to imply that any application will necessarily be completed within that time scale. The website currently advises applicants not to make non-urgent travel plans such as holidays until the outcome of the application is known and their documents have been returned. If an applicant wishes to travel their documents will be returned but applications will not normally be considered out of turn.