Home Secretary Mahmood declined to give detailed figures for the financial impact of revised settlement proposals, saying the full cost of abandoning plans to extend the waiting period for settlement would be set out at a later date.
The announcement marks a reversal of earlier proposals to increase the length of time some people must wait before applying for settlement. Mahmood did not provide immediate estimates for how much the change will cost the public purse or how the fiscal effects would be met.
When pressed for numbers, the home secretary said the government would lay out the complete cost implications in forthcoming documentation. No timetable for the publication of that information was given in her statement.
The Home Office did not provide additional figures when contacted. The lack of detail leaves uncertainty about the short-term budgetary impact of the policy change and when taxpayers and affected applicants can expect clarity on the financial consequences.