UK Borders Bill

Could the Minister deal with my question on whether the basis on which the fees are charged will be on the costs incurred by the providers or whether, as is the case for certain other fees recently, the charges will be higher than the costs? I refer to the fee to apply for indefinite leave to remain which was raised recently from £350 to £750. I ask the question because UK universities are already anxious about competition from abroad diminishing the supply of foreign students entering our universities and thus having a severe impact on their finances. If applicants to higher education courses are suddenly faced with a large additional bill for BIDs, that could have a serious effect on university intake. Before the Government reach any conclusion on these issues, I would ask them to hold discussions with the universities, and I would be grateful for an assurance from the Minister that that will be so. Further, since he said that no decision has been made on whether to reduce the period from six months to three, I extend that request also to representatives of the tourist industry. If you start charging people for BIDs when they are coming in only for a short holiday, I am sorry to say that the impact on our tourist industry could be very severe. It would be outrageous if the Government were to undertake such a step without proper consultation with the interests concerned. I hope that the noble Lord can give me assurances, on both the universities and the representatives of the tourist industry, and that they will hold those discussions before any final decisions are made on these matters.