HC Deb 26 April 1976 vol 910 cc41-2W
Mr. Geoffrey Finsberg

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on how many occasions since 1945 the Royal Prerogative has been exercised through Her Majesty's Ministers to withdraw validly issued passports or to impose conditions thereon except following a United Nations Security Council resolution.

Mr. Hattersley

The Under-Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs announced to the House in reply to a Question on 15th November 1974 the five categories of persons to whom passport facilities may be refused. The number of occasions since 1945 on which passports have been withdrawn or conditions have been imposed is as follows:

Category (a) no figures are available but very few cases of withdrawal or restriction occur;

Category (b) no figures are available but very few cases occur;

Category (c) passports have been withdrawn from 70 persons on occasions not following a United Nations Security Council Resolution. Of these, 58 were Angola mercenaries;

Category (d) no figures are available for 1945 and 1946 but from 1st January 1947 to 31st March 1976 passports were restricted in 67,858 cases until the debt was repaid;

Category (e) restrictions on passports of persons in this category follow a United Nations Security Council Resolution.