HC Deb 05 February 2002 vol 379 cc879-80W
Mr. Laurence Robertson

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department If he will make a statement on the delays involved in the treatment of post received at the Immigration Office, Croydon. [30492]

Angela Eagle

We aim to decide 70 per cent. of all new general and settlement cases within three weeks and met this for the first half of 2001. But because of the exceptionally high number of applications received and the introduction of process changes, it has recently been taking up to eight weeks to consider new applications. We are working to reduce this to three weeks or less as soon as possible.