§ Miss Joan Lestorasked the Lord Privy Seal if he will take steps to ensure that the same conditions apply to men and women who apply for passports.
§ Mr. LuceApart from the provisions in the nationality legislation whereby a woman may acquire or retain British nationality or citizenship through marriage, men and women apply for passports under the same conditions. The British Nationality Act 1981 preserves the residual rights of women who marry before commencement but makes no similar provision for those who marry after.
§ Miss Joan Lestorasked the Lord Privy Seal why a married woman is required to produce her marriage certificate when applying for a passport.
§ Mr. LuceAs a woman usually adopts her husband's surname on marriage, she is asked to produce her marriage certificate as evidence of the change of name.
§ Miss Joan Lestorasked the Lord Privy Seal what are the circumstances under which a divorced woman is required to give details of her divorce when applying for a passport.
§ Mr. LuceA woman is asked to state the date of her divorce since this can have a bearing on her nationality and thus upon her eligibility to have a passport. A woman Nvho acquires the citizenship of a former dependency on independence is excepted from loss of United Kingdom citizenship if she is then married to a man who retains his United Kingdom citizenship.
§ Miss Joan Lestorasked the Lord Privy Seal what are the circumstances under which a divorced man is required to give details of his divorce when applying for a passport.
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§ Mr. LuceA divorced man is not required to give details of his divorce as his marital status has no bearing on his nationality or on his eligibility to hold a passport.
§ Miss Joan Lestorasked the Lord Privy Seal whether a married woman who retains her maiden name is required to produce her marriage certificate when applying for a passport; and, if not, whether she is required to produce any other documentation relating to her marital status.
§ Mr. LuceWhere a woman's national status cannot be directly affected by her marriage and she continues after marriage to use her maiden name for all purposes, the Passport Office does not require her to produce her marriage certificate or any other documentation relating to her marital status.
§ Miss Joan Lestorasked the Lord Privy Seal why a married man is not required to produce his marriage certificate when applying for a passport.
§ Mr. LuceAs marriage has no effect upon a man's name or nationality, his marital status has no bearing upon his passport application.
§ Miss Joan Lestorasked the Lord Privy Seal whether a married man who takes on his wife's name is required to produce his marriage certificate when applying for a passport; and, if not, whether he is required to produce any other documentation relating to his marital status.
§ Mr. LuceA married man who assumed his wife's surname on marriage would be required to produce evidence of his change of name. He would not be required to produce evidence of his marital status.
§ Miss Joan Lestorasked the Lord Privy Seal why widows applying for passports are requested to give the date of death of their husbands; and whether he will either delete this question from passport applications or extend it to widowers.
§ Mr. LuceA widow is required to give the date of her husband's death as this can have a bearing on her nationality and thus upon her eligibility to have a passport in the same way as the date of divorce for a women whose marriage has been dissolved. As a widower's nationality cannot be similarly affected, the date of his wife's death is not required for passport purpose.