Passports

HC Deb 09 May 1973 vol 856 cc481-3

16. Mr. Fowler

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will make a statement on the use of British passports by Israeli Government agents in obtaining entry to the Lebanon.

Lord Balniel

We have conclusive evidence that three of the people involved in the Israeli raid on Beirut on 10th April used falsified British passports. We have protested to the Israeli Government and have sought both an explanation and an assurance that this kind of thing will not be repeated. We do not regard as satisfactory the Israeli explanation that no Israeli personnel were carrying British or any other passports.

Mr. Fowler

I thank my right hon. Friend for that reply. His remarks will be echoed by many hon. Members. If he knows, will he say exactly how the false British passports that were used in the raid were obtained? Will he institute inquiries to see what the general position is, and how easy it is to obtain a false British passport?

Lord Balniel

Falsification can easily be undertaken by forgery or various alterations to a passport, but I shall look into my hon. Friend's general point. The evidence was passed to us on a confidential basis, and I am not at liberty to reveal it. I can, however, assure the House that it is utterly convincing.

Mr. Clinton Davis

Will the right hon. Gentleman give an assurance that espionage agents employed by the British Government will in future use only genuine United Kingdom passports on entering foreign countries? Will he acknowledge that the raid may have caused the Lebanese Government, who have for so long harboured terrorism in and near Beirut, to have second thoughts and thereby improve the prospects of peace in the Middle East?

Lord Balniel

I have no knowledge of any British personnel using the methods implied by the hon. Gentleman. What he must understand is the grave danger caused to British citizens abroad by such an incident, which could create an utterly false impression that the British were implicated in the incident. It is a very grave matter, which we take extremely seriously.

17. Mrs. Joyce Butler

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will revise the passport regulations to enable a joint passport holder, when his or her spouse dies, to obtain a single passport at a reduced rate for the period outstanding on the joint passport.

Mr. Amery

No, Sir. To introduce passports at reduced rates would not be fair. It would give persons in this category an unjustifiable advantage over those who, for other reasons, apply for replacement passports at the normal fee.

Mrs. Butler

As the Minister rejects the suggestion I made, will he consider the possibility of deleting the deceased spouse's particulars officially from the joint passport, so that the surviving spouse may continue to use it without the distress of the continual reminder of the loss?

Mr. Amery

I think that there is some misunderstanding about the so-called joint passport. It is really a passport issued to a particular individual, but his wife and children are allowed to travel on it free. It is a concession made to the family; the passport is given to the husband, and the wife and children are allowed to travel free. It is not really a joint passport, but a passport issued to a particular man in accordance with an international convention.

Miss Fookes

Acting on the principle that constant dripping may wear away a stone, would my right hon. Friend be prepared to initiate the calling of an international conference to end the anomaly of the so-called joint passport and have it on a proper basis for each individual?

Mr. Amery

It is perfectly easy for everyone to have an individual passport, but about 20 per cent. of passports issued at present allow a man to take advantage of the concession for his wife and children. In parts of the country, particularly in the North, about 50 per cent. of passports issued take advantage of what is quite an important concession, under which an individual secures a passport for £5 on which his wife and children can also travel, instead of having two passports, which would cost them £10.

Mr. William Hamilton

If a family passport is issued to a wife and she dies, can it be used equally by her husband and children?

Mr. Amery

Under the international convention the passport can be issued only to the man, to the husband. The United States has sought to breach that rule by making it possible for either a husband or a wife to have a passport issued in his or her name. I understand that not much advantage has been taken of that situation. That is because certain countries have not been prepared to accept a passport in the name of a wife, because it is contrary to the international convention.