§ Mr. Knox Cunninghamasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, having regard to the work of the Special Committee of the Council of Europe on the simplification of frontier formalities, Her Majesty's Government will agree to the use by foreign visitors to the United Kingdom of identity documents, other than passports, which include a photograph of the holder; and if he will make a statement with regard to the use of passports in general.
§ Mr. R. AllanThe subject raised in the first part of the Question has been under examination by an inter-Departmental Working Party set up by my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary. This body has suggested that, subject to certain safeguards, foreign visitors who are nationals of States members of the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation coming to the United Kingdom for short periods might be allowed to produce at the port of arrival, instead of a passport, the standard model identity card recommended by the Tourism Committee of the Organisation. It is not possible at present to set out in detail the difficulties which arise from this proposal; Her Majesty's Government are, however, continuing to examine the problem.
With regard to the second part of the Question, I would refer to the reply I gave on the 21st of January to my hon. Friend the Member for Esher (Sir W. Robson Brown).