HL Deb 19 July 1988 vol 499 cc1296-7WA
Lord Newall

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What progress is being made with computerisation of the United Kingdom passport offices and the introduction of a new form of British passport.

The Minister of State, Home Office (Earl Ferrers)

On 24th July 1984 my right honourable and learned friend the then Home Secretary announced the Government's plans for computerisation of passport issuing and changes in the format of the British passport. My right honourable friend the Home Secretary announced on 11 th February 1987 that these changes would take effect from this July.

The travelling public, including business travellers, will benefit substantially from these changes. As computerisation of passport offices progresses, the issue of new passports will be much improved. As machine readable passports become more widely used throughout the world, this will become an advantage for holders of the new style British passports. Sharing a common format of passport with other European countries will also help to simplify formalities at frontier controls throughout the European Community.

The Passport Office in Glasgow will be the first of the United Kingdom passport offices to be computerised. The equipment has been installed and the first of the new United Kingdom passports will be issued in mid-August after the system has been tested and staff have been trained in its use. Over a six-month period starting this October, the computerised Glasgow office will take over the processing of postal applications currently handled by the London Passport Office. By the end of 1989, all six passport offices in the United Kingdom should be computerised and issuing United Kingdom passports in the new format.

The new passport has a machine-readable page designed to reduce delays at frontier controls. Passports which include the particulars of a wife or husband cannot be issued in machine-readable form and are being discontinued, although children can still be included. Accordingly, the redesigned and simplified passport application forms which will replace existing stocks of forms at post offices throughout the United Kingdom at the end of this month, in preparation for the change to computerisation, will contain no provision for passports with the holder's spouse included. However, valid applications for these passports made on the old forms will be accepted for a short period after the new forms are introduced.

I have placed in the Library the latest preproduction samples of the new passport and of the similar form of passport that will be issued to those British nationals who do not have rights of free movement, employment and establishment within the European Community.