UK-India Trade

Debate between Keith Vaz and Lord Willetts

Wednesday 25th January 2012 Westminster Hall

[Mr Willetts]

I give way to the Chairman of the Home Affairs Committee.

[Keith Vaz]

The Minister, of course, was on the side of the angels when we considered student visas. Is it still the view of his Department, as opposed to the Home Office, that we want more Indian overseas students to come and study at our universities?

[Mr Willetts]

The British Government have a shared view, to which, of course, all Departments subscribe. Included in that, as I said, is the fact that there is no limit on the number of suitably qualified foreign students who can come to legitimate universities. However, I fully accept the challenge of communicating that effectively, given how the policy has sometimes been reported, not least in the Indian media. One reason why I have paid visits to India is to communicate as clearly as I can that there is no numerical limit on legitimate students coming to legitimate higher education institutions.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Keith Vaz and Lord Willetts

Thursday 8th December 2011 Commons Chamber

[Mr Willetts]

The catalyst fund that I referred to in my previous answer is aimed specifically at getting financial support to new start-ups, and will help finance them through the so-called “valley of death” before they can get commercial funding. At the Competitiveness Council in Brussels on Tuesday, I argued that European research funding should be more easily accessible for small and medium-sized enterprises. The best way to achieve that is by cutting bureaucracy and the complexity in the current arrangements for accessing European funding. That is what I urged on the Commission.

[Keith Vaz (Leicester East) (Lab)]

6. What recent steps he has taken to ensure that the liquidation of Bank of Credit and Commerce International is complete.