Written question asked by David Davis (Conservative) on Wednesday, 14 November 2007, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 19 November 2007. It was answered by Kim Howells (Labour) on Wednesday, 21 November 2007 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Entry Clearances: Biometrics

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he expects the targets to record biometrics for (a) most visa applicants by the end of 2007 and (b) all by the end of 2008 will be met.

Answer: Our commitment is to collect biometric data from all visa applicants by the end of March 2008. We fully expect to deliver this by, or before, March 2008.We expect to be collecting biometric data from most visa applicants by the end of 2007. We are currently collecting biometric data from all visa applicants in 115 countries, including China, Russia, Nigeria and Pakistan. On completion, we will be collecting biometric data from all visa applicants in all 135 countries where visas are issued or applications accepted.

Secondary information