Written question asked by Lord Morris of Manchester (Labour), in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 5 February 1997. It was answered by Liam Fox (Conservative) on Wednesday, 5 February 1997 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Question: Pursuant to 289 c 226-7W, what is his estimate of the cost of informing the House of visa fees charged by other European countries since 1st April 1996, as compared with those charged for entry to the United Kingdom since that date. - No figs given.

Answer: Mr. Alfred Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 29 January, Official Report, columns 226-27, what is his estimate of the cost of informing the House of visa fees charged by other European countries since 1 April 1996, as compared with those charged for entry to the United Kingdom since that date. [14350] Dr. Liam Fox: I understand that a number of European countries use a differentiated system of visa fees, whereas the UK levies flat rate fees worldwide for each category of visa. It would therefore be possible to provide the information sought only following detailed research in those countries to establish current levels of visa fee applied in various countries/regions, and any revisions which have taken place during the period in question. It is not possible to estimate in advance the costs of such research.

Secondary information