UK Borders Bill

I was in the process of winding up, and I hope that we can bring this matter to a conclusion. Before we leave universities altogether, like the noble Baroness, Lady Carnegy, I have read the papers and looked at the consultation, and I am perfectly well aware of what the universities said. I point out to the Committee that all the responses to the consultation were given before people knew the level of the fees. While universities may have been satisfied that the students coming to them would not be deterred by those fees, that certainly is not applicable to everyone else covered by the previous order. I do not wish to continue in that vein, because we are not discussing that order. We are talking about it only because at the end of the day, when the fees were announced, we found that they were grossly higher than anyone had expected. That applied in particular to dependants, who were mentioned by the noble Lord, Lord Hylton. We fear that when this clause has gone through and the consultations have taken place, people still will not know the level of the fees and that, ultimately, the Secretary of State will come forward with wholly extortionate demands, which are beyond the means of applicants. What my noble friend said about an audit needs to be taken on board. We have no idea whatever whether the £750 charged to spouses and other persons applying for indefinite leave to remain is a true reflection of the cost of the application plus the appeals system, which is being loaded on to it. At the time, I said that it was completely unreasonable to make legitimate applicants who wish to come here as a dependant—whether a spouse, elderly dependent relative, or whatever—cover the costs of the people who are not legitimate and who are dealt with through the appeals system. It is my fear that, having given the Government a blank cheque through Clause 20, we will find that, in particular, for the poorest of the Africans—mentioned by my noble friend Lord Roberts—or in the case of an elderly grandmother coming from the Indian subcontinent, for example, the sponsor, a working-class individual on a minimum wage in this country, will suddenly be faced with a bill that makes it impossible for him to look after the elderly dependent relative. I warn the Committee that if we let this power for the Secretary of State to charge whatever he likes go through, we will get protests from communities that are disadvantaged by it. I have said my piece, and I hope that the Government will listen. I do not have any hope that they will. In the mean time, I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. Clause 20 agreed to.