Question
The Home Secretary did not address the issue of the dependants of armed forces personnel. In June, the majority of Government Members voted down my amendment to the Armed Forces Bill, which included the waiving of visa fees. That has now been overturned in the House of Lords, and the Bill will be coming back here, but will she clarify exactly what will happen to the spouses and children of armed forces personnel? Will their visa fees be waived? If they earn less than £50,000 and do not work in healthcare or a professional job, will they have to find themselves—sorry, I have lost my train of thought.
Answer
I know what the hon. Gentleman means. Let me assure him that the situation in relation to all members of the armed forces is unchanged by the package of earned settlement measures. They have their own bespoke regime. I will meet him to discuss the matter of fee waivers.
Verdict: AMBER (32/100) DEFERRED
The reply gives a concrete answer on armed forces members and their families, saying their position is unchanged under the earned settlement package. It does not say whether visa fees will be waived, only offering a meeting to discuss it, so that part is deferred. It also does not address the £50,000 earnings threshold or the healthcare and professional job distinction, and only implies they would not need to take the further step. Because most of the question is deferred or left implicit, the asker would likely need to follow up for specifics.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| What will happen to the immigration and visa arrangements for the spouses and children of armed forces personnel, following the House of Lords amendment to the Armed Forces Bill? | Addressed | Direct | The reply states that the situation for armed forces members is unchanged by the earned settlement package and that families have a bespoke regime, which gives a concrete answer to what will happen. It never mentions the Lords amendment itself and does not describe the bespoke regime in detail, so the answer is real but thin. |
| Will visa fees be waived for the spouses and children of armed forces personnel? | Deferred | Hedged | The reply does not say whether visa fees will be waived and only commits to meet the Member to discuss fee waivers, which postpones the substantive answer. |
| Will spouses and children of armed forces personnel who earn less than £50,000 and do not work in healthcare or a professional job have to take some further step (the question is left incomplete)? | Partially Addressed | Hedged | The reply never engages with the £50,000 earnings threshold or the healthcare/professional job distinction, but its statements that the situation is unchanged and that families have a bespoke regime imply they would not need to take the further step. That implication is only a gesture, not a direct answer. |