§ Sir John WheelerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement about passport fees.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeThe Privy Council has approved an Order in Council, the Consular Fees (Amendment) Order 1992, which gives authority for an increase in passport fees on 22 November. The fee for a standard 32-page passport will increase from £15 to £18, for a frequent traveller's 48-page passport from £22.50 to £27, for a British visitor's passport from £7.50 to £12 and for a British visitor's passport, including spouse, from £11.25 to £18. The fee for an excursion document to France rises from £2 to £3 and that for a collective passport from £30 to £40. The fee for amending a passport to add particulars of children goes up from £4 to £5. The fees for amendments involving the holder's name, photograph or description are increased from £3 to £5.
This is the first general increase in passport fees for nine years and overall is well below the increase in inflation in that time. In relation to the cost of travel abroad, a fee of £18 for a standard passport or £12 for a British visitor's passport is still very good value for money.