To ask Her Majesty's Government how many student visas have been granted in each year since 1997. [HL418]

The number of student visas issued in each year since 1998 is shown in the table below. Figures are not available for 1997.

* Student applications in 1997 are not available as the annual entry clearance report was not split into visa categories, only settlement and non-settlement.

** From 1997 to 2000 the annual entry clearance report was published by calendar year but changed to financial year reporting from 2001.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the risk of individuals who pose a terrorist threat using the student visa system to enter the United Kingdom. [HL422]

The integrity of the visa system is regularly assessed by the UK Border Agency and other government departments. All those applying for UK visas must submit fingerprints, which, in conjunction with their biographical data, are checked against a range of police and security databases.

Those assessing visa applications are trained in identifying applicants who may pose a threat and taking appropriate action. The Government are committed to preventing those who pose a terrorist threat from entering the UK, and have a range of powers at their disposal in order to achieve this, including the ability to exclude individuals permanently from the UK.

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there have been any successful attempts since 1997 by individuals who pose a terrorist threat to enter the United Kingdom using student visas. [HL423]

We do not comment on individual cases for security reasons. Since 2007, all those applying for UK visas have had to submit their biometrics as part of the application process, which have been checked against security and police databases. This includes those coming to the UK as students. The Government are committed to preventing abuse of the visa system by individuals posing a terrorist threat, and have a range of legal powers to enable this.