§ Mr. Frank Allaunasked the Lord Privy Seal if he is aware of the ease with which passports can be falsely obtained without identification at employment exchanges; and if he will consider ways of stopping this falsification.
§ Mr. P. ThomasIt is fully realised that British Visitor's Passports can be obtained more easily than ordinary passports by persons making false declarations, and the point is under constant consideration. People making such declarations are prosecuted under Section 36 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1925. All applicants are warned that it is an offence to make a false declaration, and this warning has no doubt acted as a deterrent.
The British Visitor's Passport was introduced in March, 1961, in response to public demand. The scheme is a popular one and is working well. It enables the honest applicant to get a passport easily and cheaply. It seems undesirable to make a change in order to catch the few at the expense of the very great majority. Offenders will be pursued vigorously.