§ Mr. Peter Bruinvelsasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his policy towards the circumstances in which a British passport or British visitor's passport is withdrawn.
§ Mr. WaddingtonWithdrawal of a passport would be considered on the same basis as would refusal of an application, that is in the case of:
- (a) a minor whose journey was known to be contrary to a court order, to the wishes of a parent or other person or authority to whom a court had awarded custody, care and control or to the provisions of section 25(1) of the Children and young Persons Act 1933, as amended, or section 52 of the Adoption Act 1958, as amended;
- (b) a person for whose arrest a warrant had been issued in the United Kingdom or who was wanted by the police on suspicion of a serious crime;
- (c) in very rare cases a person whose past or proposed activities were so demonstrably undesirable that the grant or continued enjoyment of passport facilities would be contrary to the public interest;
- (d) a person repatriated at public expense until the debt had been repaid.
While a British Visitor's passport could be refused and withdrawal considered on these grounds, it is not practicable to link post offices which issue them with the index on which the controls depend.