HC Deb 09 February 2001 vol 362 cc743-4W
Sir Brian Mawhinney

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many passports have been

Mr. Mike O'Brien

The limits on candidates' election expenses at parliamentary and local government elections are set down in section 76 of the Representation of the People Act 1983, with provision for periodical updating to take account of inflation. An order increasing the limits in line with inflation since March 1997 will be made shortly. The revised limits will be as follows:

issued since May 1997 to those seeking citizenship through naturalisation, within seven months of the application being submitted. [148673]

Mrs. Roche

[holding answer 5 February 2001]: The information is not available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

The Immigration and Nationality Directorate does not keep records of whether successful applicants for British citizenship go on to obtain British passports. The United Kingdom Passport Agency (UKPA) has no way of knowing when a passport applicant applied for British citizenship.