HC Deb 07 November 1949 vol 469 cc890-1
57. Mr. Vernon Bartlett

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs why an applicant for a passport now has to state whether his or her marriage has been dissolved; and what other changes have been made in the new forms of application.

Mr. Mayhew

As the reply is lengthy, I will with permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

Mr. Bartlett

Can the hon. Gentleman assure the House that if an applicant for a passport refuses to give information about divorce, it would make no difference to his or her right as a British subject to have a British passport?

Mr. Mayhew

I believe that the question of the children of divorced parents comes into this, and I would not like to give that assurance without careful study.

Following is the reply:

An applicant for a passport has for many years been required to state whether he or she is married or single or whether his or her marriage has been dissolved. This inquiry, although primarily intended to reveal the precise marital status of the applicant, is also designed to ensure that where the name of a child is included in the application the passport is not issued, through ignorance of the dissolution of the parents' marriage, without the consent of the parent or guardian who has legal custody of the child. The information is not now recorded in the passport itself and, in common with all information given in connection with the issue of a passport, is treated as confidential.

The passport application form was remodelled in 1947 in connection with the arrangements for enabling applications to be made through the offices of the Ministry of Labour and National Service. A number of other changes were introduced at that time, including the issue of detailed instructions for completing the application form. Changes of an entirely different character were necessitated by the passing of the British Nationality Act, 1948, which introduced new nationality distinctions based on citizenship and effected a radical change in the position of married women. The form has also been revised in some of its less important details to ensure that the applicant is not required to furnish information or evidence which is not strictly germane to the purpose of obtaining a passport.