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Immigration: Language Skills
Lord Greaves asked Her Majesty's Government:
What are the recommended fees for (a) attendance at courses for qualifications in English for Speakers of Other Languages, and (b) the requirements for citizenship and indefinite leave to remain; and how they are calculated. [HL1]
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (Lord Triesman): The cost of a Skills for Life ESOL qualification varies depending on the number of hours it takes a provider to deliver that qualification to a learner. The exact amount a learner will therefore pay will vary depending on the length of the qualification. For 2007-08 the fee element is 37.5 per cent of the basic cost of the qualification. In the LSC's Funding Guidance for Further Education 2007-08, Annexe A, Table A2 sets out the fee element against the number of guided learning hours (GLH). For example, a Skills for Life ESOL qualification that takes 150GLH would have an assumed fee of £330. While 37.5 per cent is the assumed fee element by the LSC, individual providers can choose to set their fees at a level the market supports.
The requirements for citizenship or indefinite leave to remain (ILR) are identical. The two methods by which applicants can demonstrate their knowledge of language and of life in the UK are:
for those already at or above English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Entry 3 level of English, by taking a specially developed short test based on the handbook Life in the United Kingdom: A Journey to Citizenship; and for those below ESOL Entry 3 level, by successfully completing a language course with learning materials incorporating information about life in the UK. Courses are pitched at a level appropriate to the learners' needs and success is measured by acquiring an ESOL-Skills for Life qualification from one of the recognised UK awarding bodies.When foreign nationals apply for ILR, they are assessed against the published criteria for their category, as stated in the Immigration Rules. More information on the various categories under which people can apply for ILR can be found on the Border and Immigration Agency website at www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk.
Justice: Civil Procedure Rules
Lord Avebury asked Her Majesty's Government:
Under what circumstances the Civil Procedure Rules allow the Treasury Solicitor to ask for an extension of time to file an acknowledgement of service at the permission stage of a judicial review if
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The Attorney-General (Baroness Scotland of Asthal): Rule 3.1(2)(a) of the Civil Procedure Rules enables the court to extend the 21-day time limit within which the defendant must file an acknowledgement of service in judicial review proceedings. A party is always able to ask the court to do so, and this is not affected by whether the party is represented by the Treasury Solicitor. Whether the court would, if asked, agree to extend the limit would be a matter for the discretion of the court in all the circumstances of the case, having regard to the court's duty under the rules to give effect to the overriding objective of dealing with cases justly.
There is no fixed time after which the court will proceed to make a decision on the permission application. A failure by the defendant to file an acknowledgement of service does not affect how quickly the court can proceed, but rule 54.9 makes it clear that a defendant who fails to file such an acknowledgement within the required time may not take part in a hearing to decide whether permission should be given unless the court allows him to do so.
Railways: Franchises
Lord Berkeley asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the additional cost, including changes to rolling stock and staff, of revising the areas of the former Virgin Cross Country, Central Trains, Midland Main Line and Silverlink franchises compared with re-letting these franchises on the same service area basis as the previous ones. [HL14]
Lord Bassam of Brighton: As it was never our intention to continue with these franchises as they were previously configured, we have not calculated the likely cost of re-letting them on that basis. We are, however, satisfied that the revised configuration both has the potential to deliver better services for passengers and represents good value for money.
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