§ Mr. Alfred Morrisasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to what extent British visitor's passports continue to be in demand; and whether any change is proposed in the procedure for obtaining them.
§ Mr. George ThomsonThese simplified passports continue to be very popular. About 600,000 were issued in 1965 and it is very possible that the number may be even higher in 1966.
Unhappily there has been increasing evidence that some people have obtained British Visitor's Passports fraudulently. I have therefore arranged that from 1st March all applicants will be required to produce for inspection one of the following: a National Health Service medical card or a birth certificate or, in the case 182W of retired persons, a Retirement Pension Book. It will also be necessary in the case of joint passports for the wife to attend at the issuing office with her husband so that her photograph and signature on the passport, as well as those of the husband, may be verified at the time of issue.
The British Visitor's Passport will continue to be obtainable on demand from any local office of the Ministry of Labour, provided the necessary documents are produced, and the fee will remain 7s. 6d. (compared with £1 10s. 0d. for a normal passport).