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27 Jun 2007 : Column 765Wcontinued
Mr. Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the unit cost is of dealing with each category of in-country application. [127402]
Mr. Byrne:
Following a public consultation at the end of 2006, we set out in a written ministerial statement and formal response to the consultation the intention to move away from a simple cost recovery model for immigration and nationality fees from this April to a model where categories of leave are priced on
the basis of their value to the applicant. This allows us to adopt a more flexible approach and can keep fees low for particular groups.
The projected unit costs on which the fees which took effect on 2 April 2007 were calculated are as follows. The actual costs of processing the applications will be reported in the accounts of the Border and Immigration Agency in the usual way following the end of the financial year.
Mr. Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with the United States Department for Homeland Security on limits to the visa waiver programme for security purposes; and whether exclusions based on (a) ethnic and (b) behavioural profiling have been discussed. [141354]
John Reid: There have been discussions on several occasions with Secretary Chrertoff on how to enhance co-operation on border security, including the Visa Waiver programme. At no stage has ethnic profiling been requested, countenanced or discussed other than in addressing misleading press reports, which were dismissed by both sides.
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average response time has been to an immigration enquiry from an hon. Member in 2007; and what the equivalent figure was in (a) 2006 and (b) 2005. [145493]
Mr. Byrne: In 2005 letters from hon. Members were answered within an average of 32.8 working days. In 2006 letters from hon. Members were answered within an average of 23.56 working days.
Figures for the average number of days to respond to a hon. Members letters in 2007 are not currently available.
Mr. Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been prosecuted under section 34 (3) of the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006. [143457]
Mr. McNulty: The Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 received Royal Assent on the 30 March 2006. Section 34(3) provides an offence where a person fails to provide information in response to a requirement under section 32 (2) or (3) or 33(2) of that Act.
We are currently engaged in consultation with industry on implementation of these sections, which will influence when these sections will commence. To date, there have been no prosecutions under section 34(3) of the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006.
David Heyes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what procedure (a) is followed by Border Control and Immigration Agency officers in relation to cases defined as work in progress hold and (b) determines the order in which such cases are dealt with; and what the average length of time taken was to deal with such cases in the latest period for which figures are available. [140653]
Mr. Byrne: The document Fair, Effective, Transparent and Trusted: Rebuilding Confidence in our Immigration System, published in July 2006, lays out the order of priorities for legacy asylum cases. We will consider first those who may pose a risk to the public, and then those more easily removed, those receiving support, and those who may be granted leave. All cases are dealt with on their individual merits.
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