HC Deb 20 January 2004 vol 416 cc1230-1W
Mr. Boswell

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he is taking to overcome administrative problems over visas required by children at school in the UK who are resident abroad to travel home for holidays. [144933]

Beverley Hughes

The Immigration and Nationality Directorate gives priority attention to applications for children who need to travel urgently. Extra staff have been allocated to resolving payment issues and process timelags that can delay these applications from being decided. Resources have been prioritised to ensure every effort is made so that schoolchildren and other customers who wish to travel urgently have their applications completed or a short period of leave granted to enable them to travel.