To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure that foreign nationals seeking to reside in the United Kingdom have not been complicit in (a) fraudulent activity overseas affecting British financial institutions, and (b) fraud in the United Kingdom.

Applicants for entry clearance and those applying to remain in this country are checked for UK criminal convictions. Those seeking permission to enter the UK will normally be refused if they have previously been convicted of a criminal offence punishable by at least 12 months imprisonment. A person may be refused permission to stay on the basis of his character, conduct or associations or if he represents a threat to national security. Entry clearance officers will take account of any available local intelligence about a person's criminal activities overseas, but the agency does not have access to foreign governments' criminal records.

The UK Border Agency is expanding its action against foreign nationals who seek to commit crime in the UK. The agency has established a crime directorate incorporating six regional crime teams, 230 seconded police officers and 350 border and customs investigators. The agency works closely with other organisations such as the Serious and Organised Crime Agency and the Audit Commission, and is presently reviewing the proposal that it should join the anti-fraud organisation CIFAS for the purpose of sharing information with the financial services sector about fraud and illegal migration.