§ Mr. MaddenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department under what powers he requires passengers leaving the United Kingdom to complete embarkation cards; what questions passengers are required to answer; what penalties are imposed on those passengers who refuse to answer all or any of the questions; what officials issue and collect these cards; and how the information collected is stored.
§ Mr. RentonThe power to require passengers embarking in the United Kingdom to produce an embarkation card is contained in paragraph 5 of schedule 2 to the Immigration Act 1971, as applied by the Immigration (Landing and Embarkation Cards) Order 1975. The embarkation card asks passengers to give their full name, sex, date and place of birth, nationality, occupation, address in the United Kingdom and passport number. Immigration officers require certain passengers to produce to them completed cards upon embarkation. To this end, an officer may issue a card to a passenger on his arrival in the United Kingdom; cards are also available from other sources such as carrying companies. A person who, without reasonable excuse, fails to complete and produce an embarkation card if so required is liable on conviction to a fine of up to £1,000, or to imprisonment for not more than six months, or both. The information contained on cards filled in by passengers in controlled categories is initially stored on computer and is retained on microfiche.