HC Deb 20 December 1999 vol 341 cc373-4W
Mrs. Dunwoody

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will consult the public to establish whether there is demand for a hardback UK passport. [102916]

Mrs. Roche

There are no plans to do so. Most countries in the world issue passports which are not hardbacked. The soft covered passport is flexible, more convenient to carry and is easier and quicker to produce. Passports are produced to an International Civil Aviation Authority standard which is designed to ease travellers passage through passport controls. Producing passports in a standardised format greatly facilitates this. Re-introducing a hardback United Kingdom passport would require costly changes to the passport manufacturing process.

Mrs. Dunwoody

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will investigate the cost of re-introducing an optional hardback UK passport. [102914]

Mrs. Roche

There are no plans to do so. To introduce an optional hardback version of the United Kingdom passport would require significant changes to the passport manufacturing process, and would increase the costs of the Passport Service. There are over 30 million of the soft covered United Kingdom passports in circulation and most countries in the world issue passports in this form. A standard passport format greatly facilitates worldwide travel.