HC Deb 11 February 1942 vol 377 cc1501-2
10. Mr. Garro Jones

asked the Secretary of State for Air whether he is aware that a recent Air Council instruction, printing a list of about 3,000 Air Force passes and entry permits, which have been lost, and ordering sentries and others not to admit a person presenting one of these specified passes, is causing concern to those who have to act upon it; and whether he will make it clear to what extent sentries are to detain pass-holders while satisfying themselves that the proffered pass is not among the 3,000 which are cancelled?

Captain Balfour

Particulars of lost passes and similar documents are circulated to those concerned from time to time in order to prevent their misuse by unauthorised persons. The list is confidential and it would not be in the public interest to disclose the precise measures taken to prevent impersonation. I am advised that in practice no difficulty arises in complying with the instructions issued.

Mr. Garro Jones

Does the right hon. and gallant Gentleman really think it satisfactory that while 3,000 lost passes are in circulation this list should merely be circulated to sentries and others, so that when passes are presented it is impossible to say whether they are valid or not, without looking through a list of 3,000 cancelled passes. Is there no common sense left in the Security Department of the Air Ministry?

Captain Balfour

Naturally when this Question was put down I went very fully into this subject. Of the list of 3,000, only a very small percentage are passes. The hon. Member would not expect me to give exact figures. The remainder are forms which are accepted as sufficient to allow entry and which carry the photograph of the holder. It is when the photograph does not tally with the man who has presented this form or pass, or alternatively, when it looks as if the pass had been tampered with, that the sentry has cause to look at the list. Therefore, the hon. Gentleman is wrong when he says that a list of 3,000 has to be gone through; it is only in a very small percentage of cases that any question arises.

Mr. Garro Jones

I beg to give notice that, having regard to the fact that I have information to the contrary to what the hon. and gallant Gentleman has stated, I propose to bring this matter to the attention of the House at the earliest opportunity.