HC Deb 08 April 1981 vol 2 cc284-6W
Mr. Michael Brown

asked the Lord Privy Seal how many individuals and organisations have so far made representations about the proposal to abandon the traditional format of the United Kingdom passport since his recent announcement; and what proportion of those has been in favour of the proposal.

Sir Ian Gilmour

Since I told my hon. Friend the Member for Ravensbourne (Mr. Hunt) on 13 March—[Vol. 1000, c. 444]—that discussions were continuing on the question of the introduction of a common format passport for member States of the European Community. I have received 34 letters from people and organisations critical of the proposal and one in favour.

However, almost all of those critical of the common format for United Kingdom passports have been under the misapprehension that it would be a European, rather than a British, passport and would involve some loss of nationality identity. I have made it clear to them, as I have made it clear to the House, that a British passport in the common format will not be a European Community passport and its issue will remain a national prerogative. Thus this new development involves no change in the nationality or other entitlements of the holder.

Mr. Jay

asked the Lord Privy Seal if, further to his undertaking to the House on 18 March, he will now make a full statement on the changes proposed for the British passport to take account of the European Community common format and the International Civil Aviation Organisation recommendations for machine-readability.

Sir Ian Gilmour

As I told the House on 13 March—[Vol. 1000, c. 444]—the Government have taken a decision in principle to adopt as soon as practicable the International Civil Aviation Organisation's recommendations for the introduction of a passport in a simplified, standardised format which will have a machine-readable capability. These recommendations, particularly if widely adopted by other countries, will have practical advantages for both travellers and immigration authorities. Machine-readable passports will allow ordinary travellers to pass more quickly through immigration control and will encourage the development of automated port procedures world-wide. This trend has already begun with the recent introduction of machine-readable passports by the United States of America. The machine-readable passport also offers greater security since it is difficult to counterfeit or tamper with.

Discussions in Brussels have been continuing intermittently since 1974 on the implementation of the decision taken in principle by the right hon. Member for Huyton (Sir H. Wilson) and other Heads of Government at the European Council in December of that year, that there should be a common format for the national passports of European Community member States to symbolise their partnership. Passports in a common format will not be Community passports and their issue will remain a national prerogative. Their introduction will involve no change in the nationality or other entitlements of the holder.

At the Foreign Affairs Council held in Brussels on 16–17 March this year Ministers agreed on certain details of the implementation of the 1974 decision, including a formula under which member States would each endeavour to issue passports in the common format by 1 January 1985. However, we have said that we intend to introduce the common format passport at the same time as we adopt the ICAO recommendations for a machine-readable passport. A considerable amount of work is needed to assess the costs and the technical problems involved, and until this has been done, it is understood by our partners that we cannot set a firm date for the change in the format of United Kingdom passports.

It would be misleading to describe the appearance of the new British passport too precisely at this stage, since some of the details have yet to be worked out. It has, however, been agreed that it will retain the main characteristics of our present passport, such as the name of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Royal coat of arms and the rubric Her Britannic Majesty's Principal Secretary of State requests and requires and so on. It has also been agreed that the passport will have a burgundy-coloured cover, bearing the additional words "European Community". The first inside page of the passport will contain the words United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland",

the word "passport" and a reference to the European Community in all the official languages of the European Community. The precise appearance of the British passport in the European Community common format will depend on the outcome of the work currently in hand to facilitate the introduction of machine-readable capability into the passport. This will be done by means of a laminated page with a machine-readable zone at the edge. All the information contained on the card will be visible to the eye and it will contain no information that does not appear in the existing United Kingdom passport.

United Kingdom passports are issued under the Royal Prerogative which is exercised by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. A change in the format of our passports does not require new legislation. However, following the decision at the 1974 European Council, the Commission produced a consultative document which the House of Commons Scrutiny Committee considered in 1975. The Committee made a further report in its thirty-eighth report in 1975–76.

In February 1979 the House of Lords Select Committee on the European Communities reported on progress on the implementation of the ideas in the Commission's 1975 consultative document. The subject was debated in the House of Lords on 6 November 1979. There will be further opportunities for the new format of United Kingdom passports to be debated before any change is made.

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