§ Dr. TongeTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list those purposes for which her Department and its executive agencies 457W require a birth certificate to be furnished by (i) employees, (ii) contractors, (iii) those applying for employment or contracts and (iv) other persons. [83083]
§ Mr. FoulkesThe Department for International Development may ask to see a birth certificate as a proof of identity when recruiting staff directly. On retirement from service, and prior to payment of pension, a member of staff may be requested to produce a copy of their birth certificate as a double check on age.
We require proof of date of birth before determining eligibility for a colonial pension. However, in almost every case the claimant's birth certificate had been seen many years earlier by the relevant employer and/or pension authority. The requirement to produce a birth certificate in support of such a claim is therefore very rare.
While we do not require birth certificates from contractors or consultants, we ask to see birth certificates for the children of staff working overseas to assess eligibility for various allowances including education allowances and holiday visit passages.
The DFID has no executive agencies.