Nicholas Soames (Mid Sussex, Conservative) To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many UK Border Agency staff are involved in monitoring sponsor compliance for education institutions.

Mark Harper (Forest of Dean, Conservative) There are approximately 140 staff directly involved in monitoring sponsor compliance. Compliance officers monitor all sponsors for tiers 2, 4 and 5 of the points based system; as such the UK Border Agency cannot give a figure for education institution monitoring only.