HC Deb 15 April 1981 vol 3 cc305-6
1. Mr. Brotherton

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he has any plans to amend the regulations governing the issue of United Kingdom passports.

The Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr. Richard Luce)

No, Sir.

Mr. Brotherton

Will my hon. Friend find time today to consider the extraordinarily unsatisfactory replies given to the House by the Lord Privy Seal, and by the Home Secretary when standing in for the Prime Minister, on the question of a so called Euro-passport? Will my hon. Friend tell the House when it is intended to introduce the Euro-passport, and why it is intended to introduce it? Will the Euro-passport take the place of the United Kingdom passport? If so, will the House have a chance to debate the matter and, indeed, to vote on it?

Mr. Luce

My hon. Friend calls it a "so-called Euro-passport". It will remain a British passport. I assure my hon. Friend that, as my right hon. Friend has already made absolutely plain, the House will have an opportunity to debate the format of the passport before any changes are made.

I should like to reinforce to my hon. Friend the fact that the change will be made only when we are satisfied that we can make the change to what we would call a machine-readable passport, which will bring benefits to people who are travelling in and out of this country because that should speed up the process of immigration and emigration.

Mr. English

I am sure that the hon. Gentleman is aware that a large number of hon. Members are entitled to hold both United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland passports, being citizens of both countries. I hope, therefore, that when we have the new system the Government will stop the silly practice of depriving people of their British passports whilst they hold their Irish ones, or, for that matter, by good relations, the Irish Government depriving people of their Irish passports whilst they hold their British ones.

Mr. Luce

In general that is a matter for the Home Secretary, but I reinforce my statement that it will remain a British passport.

Mr. Cormack

To make it absolutely plain, will my hon. Friend spell out that this will be a British passport, that it will bear the name of Her Britanic Majesty, and that it will be blue and not burgundy, or even claret?

Mr. Luce

The passport will remain British, but there will be a common format once we have agreed it. Incidentally, it is proposed that it should be burgundy coloured—with something of the flavour of my hon. Friend's shirt,—which seems to be entirely suitable.