PASSPORT OFFICES: INDUSTRIAL DISPUTE (Hansard, 21 May 1981)

§ The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Lord Carrington)

The selective industrial action by the Council of Civil Service Unions has affected the processing of passport applications at all Passport Offices. The Passport Office are doing everything they can to provide a service with applications being given the priority required by each applicant's date of travel. The following arrangements have been made in an attempt to ease the situation.

Applications for renewal of passports can be dealt with by an endorsement on the current or expired passport extending the validity temporarily. This arrangement applies to travel to all countries. Following discussions with the United States authorities, it has been agreed that for the purpose of travel from the United Kingdom to the United States, we are prepared to regard United Kingdom passports which expired less than five years previously, and have not been cancelled, as valid travel documents. For their part, the United States authorities have agreed similarly to regard these passports as valid. The arrangement between the two countries will come into effect on 25th May 1981. It will last for three months in the first instance, that is until 25th August 1981, and will lapse on that date unless further extended.

Consultations with a number of other countries are taking place to see whether similar arrangements can be made with them. If they can, announcements will be made. Nobody should, of course, regard an expired passport as valid for travel to any other country or in any other circumstances than those described. Travel associations and airlines are being informed. In addition, travellers to certain European countries and Canada may apply to main Post Offices for British Visitors Passports valid for one year.

The industrial action is affecting delivery and collection of mail at the Passport Offices and it is therefore necessary for applications for full passports to be lodged personally by the applicants or on their behalf. Arrangements can also be made for temporary passports to be issued in urgent cases where an existing application is trapped in the post. In these cases the applicant should go to the Passport Office to which the application was sent taking proof of an urgent need to travel, two new photographs and evidence that the passport fee has been paid.