Mr. De la Bèreasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will consider bringing in regulations as regards stamping on passports, alongside the signature, the print of the right thumb of the holder of the passport, solely for the purpose of identification when travelling abroad?
§ Mr. EdenApart from the objection which exists in the minds of the public to any requirement of fingerprints, there are many insurmountable difficulties in the way of the adoption of such a system, and I am not convinced that any substantial public benefit would accrue from its adoption.
Mr. De la BèreIs my right hon. Friend aware that at the International Police Convention which was held at Copenhagen it was urged that all passports should bear the fingerprints of the owner with a view to preventing the use of fraudulent passports, and does he not think that it is only prejudice which stands in the way of the adoption of a practice which would prove to be a very sound one?
§ Mr. EdenI am obliged to my hon. Friend for that information—I did not know it—but I think that life is complicated enough already.
§ Mr. EdeWill the right hon. Gentleman consider instituting this system for police officers first as an experiment?