§ Mr. Laurence RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to abolish visa requirements for visiting students from Romania; what discussions he has had with that country's Government on the abolition of the requirement for UK students to have visas when visiting Romania; and if he will make a statement. [41914]
§ Angela Eagle[holding answer 11 March 2002]: A visa regime will normally be imposed where there is evidence of sustained abuse of our controls. All visa regimes are kept under review, and are only maintained where they contribute to effective immigration control. There continue to be large numbers of Romanian nationals seeking asylum or being found here illegally. In the circumstances there are no plans to lift the visa requirement for Romanian nationals. United Kingdom citizens do not require visas to visit Romania, but any who wish to study there will need to fulfil the requirement of the Romanian immigration regulations. We have had no discussions with the Romanian government on the conditions they attach to United Kingdom students studying in Romania.