§ Mr. Lubbockasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how the £15 fee charged by his Department for changing the nationality of a child of United Kingdom parents born on a foreign-registered ship is calculated; and if he will seek to provide that the fee can be waived at his discretion in cases where the responsible parent is in receipt of supplementary benefit.
§ Mr. Merlyn ReesThe fee for registering an alien minor child as a citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies takes account of the average cost of making enquiries and dealing with such registrations. The fee is prescribed by Regulations and my right hon. Friend has no proposals for enabling it to be waived. A child born on a foreign-registered ship to married parents who are citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies would itself be such a citizen from birth.