Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 6 July (HL Deb cols 1067–71), what discussions they have had with the Project for the Registration of Children regarding the criticisms made of the (1) guidance, and (2) application process, for the discretionary waiver; and what further consideration they have given to (a) the deletion from the guidance of reference to the impact on the funding of the immigration system, and (b) how to report to Parliament on the ongoing monitoring of the application of the waiver.

Whilst no discussions have taken place with the Project for the Registration of Children as British Citizens on the guidance and application process for the discretionary fee waiver for child registration applications to date, the department is open to feedback on where improvements could be made. It is actively undertaking its own evaluation of this new service to identify opportunities for continuous improvement.

Regarding the reference in the guidance to the impact on the funding of the immigration system, as noted in Baroness Williams’ remarks of 6 July, nationality fees are part of a system of fees and funding that was established through the Immigration Act 2014 and the Immigration and Nationality (Fees) Order 2016, that underpins the overall policy of minimising the reliance on the UK taxpayer. The department maintains the view that the reference in the guidance is a relevant consideration in the overall affordability assessment undertaken by caseworkers.

The Home Office is monitoring the numbers of applications received, approved or rejected. It is considering the best mechanism for updating Parliament with this information at the earliest appropriate opportunity.