HL Deb 11 November 2003 vol 654 cc178-9WA
Lord Avebury

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether, in deciding the fees to be charged for applications for extensions of leave to remain by temporary residents in the United Kingdom they received representations regarding the level of these fees compared with those levied for initial visas. [HL5015]

Baroness Scotland of Asthal

The fees are set under Treasury rules to recover the full administrative cost entailed in considering applications and no more. This is calculated by taking the overall costs of processing applications divided by the number of decisions we expect to make.

A number of letters have been received from members of the public, bodies representing students and Members of Parliament with regard to the introduction of charging.

My honourable friend the Minister of State for Citizenship, Immigration and Counter-Terrorism has replied to a number of these representations and officials at the Home Office continue to do so.

Lord Avebury

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether, in deciding the fees to be charged for applications for extensions of leave to remain by temporary residents in the United Kingdom:

  1. (a) they calculated that the interval between the announcement of the new system of charges and the date when those charges came into effect was adequate to disseminate the information to those who needed to know; and
  2. (b) they were satisfied that the Immigration and Nationality Directorate will be be to provide a level of service to international students commensurate with the charges now being made. [HL5016]

Baroness Scotland of Asthal

The concept of charging has been in the public domain for some time since it was debated during the passage of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. My right honourable friend the Home Secretary further stated his intention to charge in the White PaperSecure Borders, Safe Haven: Integration with Diversity in Modern Britain published on 7 February 2002, and signalled that it was necessary and appropriate that applicants themselves paid for this service. The regulations were laid on 10 July and charging was introduced on 1 August.

Although the intention to introduce charging had been signalled in the White Paper, we accept that the implementation date gave little time before the start of the academic year. Our main concern now is to ensure that all international students and their advisers have the information they need about the new arrangements and services available. Home Office officials are working closely with the Department for Education and Skills (DfES), the British Council and UKCOSA to ensure that this information is disseminated as widely and quickly as possible.

Charging is vital to ensure we can continue providing the service many students and higher education establishments have come to enjoy recently, particularly under the batch scheme. We have already invested heavily to ensure that the improved service standards we have published are achievable and sustainable. The implementation of charges is necessary to enable the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) to bring its performance up to the best international standards.