§ Mr. PatnickTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which countries have so far agreed to accept travellers using expired United Kingdom passports or British visitors passports under the emergency arrangements announced on 31 March to help reduce delays at the passport offices; what is the extent of the present delays; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. RentonThe information requested is given in the tables.
Countries accepting uncancelled United Kingdom passports expired within the last five years and British Visitor's Passports Period of Acceptance Country From To Comments United States of America 15 April 1988 15 June 1988 Visas required Hong Kong 1 April 1988 30 September 1988 Bahamas 1 April 1988 30 September 1988 Antigua and Barbuda 1 April 1988 30 September 1988 Belgium 8 April 1988 30 September 1988 BVPs regularly accepted Greece 1 April 1988 30 September 1988 Luxembourg 8 April 1988 30 September 1988 Netherlands 8 April 1988 30 September 1988 West Germany1 18 April 1988 30 September 1988 Yugoslavia 1 April 1988 30 September 1988 Visas required with BVPs 1 Passports must show national status of British citizen or be endorsed to confirm that the holder has a right of abode in the United Kingdom. Israel has agreed to accept expired passports (but not BVPs) up to 30 September 1988.
Delay times for correctly-completed, non-urgent passport applications Passport office Delay (working days) London 51 Glasgow 33 Peterborough 30 Newport 19 Liverpool 15 At the small Belfast office, which caters only for Northern Ireland residents, a turnround time of four working days is being maintained.
Urgent applications are given priority at all the passport offices. In addition, blocks of applications are 375W being transferred on a regular basis from the hardest-pressed London office to Liverpool to help reduce the long delay in clearing applications posted to London.