asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will waive the £85 visa charge for competitors at the international eisteddfod at Llangollen which starts on 4 July.[HL6546]

Fees for visa services are set to cover the costs of providing them in accordance with HM Treasury guidelines on fees and charges, and any decision to issue visas at less than the normal fee would need to be made financially good to UKvisas from another source. UKvisas has consulted other government departments to ascertain whether there are any public funds available to cover the expenses of foreign participants at the 60th International Eisteddfod in Llangollen, but has not identified any such funds. Unfortunately, we cannot therefore waive the fee for visas for this event.