§ Mr. MacleanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will estimate how many illegally obtained(a) National Insurance numbers and (b) UK passports are currently held by non-UK nationals. [71097]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienThere are no figures available on illegally obtained United Kingdom passports currently in the possession of non-United Kingdom nationals. The Passport Agency keeps records of the numbers of fraudulent passport applications detected. The level of abuse detected in 1998 was 1,368 applications, amounting to under 0.03 per cent. of total passport issues. The vast majority of these abuses related to fraudulent applications detected before a passport was issued.
126WThe Home Office has no responsibility for National Insurance numbers; but the Department of Social Security has indicated that they have no figures relating to non-United Kingdom nationals and illegally obtained National Insurance numbers.