Mr. Doncha O'Sullivan:

As the Deputy said, there was a significant increase last year across the board, for all types of visa applications. We see visa applications, as one would expect, for employment, study and to join family. We have a network of visa offices around the world, including our own staff around the world. Our office in India is particularly busy and is working hard to process these as quickly as possible. The processing times vary around the world from six to 12 weeks. A straightforward study or employment visa can be dealt with quite quickly. Other visas are more complex and require further investigation.