Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Bill

My Lords, I add one factor. First, I congratulate the Minister on the new scheme, which has with it the elements of a successful system. While I accept that much of the discussion today emphasises the fact that we do not know enough about its detail, I want to touch on one major factor influencing the acceptance of students when they get to the gate, as it were. That is the financial implication. In the University of Cambridge, we spend a particularly long period trying to assess the financial limitations and obligations on the part of both the student and the university itself. We accept—as we have been doing for many years now—that we will not take in students who lack the financial backing to be able to carry the scheme forward. That in itself is an important factor and I am sure that Cambridge is not unique in that respect. It must apply to other universities. At the end of the day, the university authorities will often have to deal with that problem themselves. They will have to try to deal with a situation as and when it arises, should there be a deficiency in the student’s ability to pay fees. That ought to be considered. If this is a point of rejection, then it ought to be referred back, at least in part, to authorities such as the universities which have been looking into that particular situation.