British Nationality: Assessments

Anne Main
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people took citizenship tests in (a) St. Albans, (b) Hertfordshire and (c) England and Wales in each of the last three years; what the average pass rate was in each year; and if she will make a statement.

Mr. Byrne
Test results are recorded against the test centre and Government office region where the test is taken, but it is not possible to provide a breakdown of the figures for St. Albans or Hertfordshire.

Candidates may take the test at any test centre and it is known that many candidates take the test at a location convenient to their place of employment rather than their place of residence.

There are two test centres in Hertfordshire, Watford and Stevenage, which fall within the Eastern Government region.

The figures for tests taken in centres in England and Wales are as follows:

-------------------------------------------------------------------
|                      |2005 (October to December)|2006   |2007   |
-------------------------------------------------------------------
|England               |                          |       |       |
-------------------------------------------------------------------
|Fail (Number)         |2,107                     |48,757 |88,837 |
-------------------------------------------------------------------
|Pass (Number)         |5,086                     |101,137|202,936|
-------------------------------------------------------------------
|Total tests (Number)  |7,193                     |149,894|291,773|
-------------------------------------------------------------------
|Pass rate (Percentage)|70.7                      |67.5   |69.6   |
-------------------------------------------------------------------
|                      |                          |       |       |
-------------------------------------------------------------------
|Wales                 |                          |       |       |
-------------------------------------------------------------------
|Fail (Number)         |10                        |565    |1,370  |
-------------------------------------------------------------------
|Pass (Number)         |38                        |1,465  |3,473  |
-------------------------------------------------------------------
|Total tests (Number)  |48                        |2,030  |4,843  |
-------------------------------------------------------------------
|Pass rate (Percentage)|79.2                      |72.2   |71.7   |
-------------------------------------------------------------------