HC Deb 17 December 2002 vol 396 cc750-1W
Mr. Peter Duncan

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many passports were issued to children in(a) the care of UK local authorities and (b) long-term foster care during each of the last five years. [87123]

Beverley Hughes

This information is not held by the United Kingdom Passport Service.

Mr. Peter Duncan

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he plans to review procedures for issuing passports to children in long-term foster care with birth parents who are not contactable. [87125]

Beverley Hughes

No. The UK Passport Service requirements that parental consent is given before a passport is issued to a child and that evidence of an appropriate court order be produced before accepting consent form a local authority social services department, are based on sound principles and are correct in law. It would be wrong for the UK Passport Service to attempt to decide whether or to whom parental rights have transferred in these circumstances; these are matters for the courts. The UK Passport Service is drawing up a guidance note for social services departments to clarify requirements for passport applications.

Mr. Peter Duncan

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on procedures used to issue passports to children in long-term foster care; and what assessment has been made of the extent of delays in the process. [87218]

Beverley Hughes

British passports are issued to children only when parental consent is given. If an application for a child's passport is made by anyone other than the child's parents, the United Kingdom Passport Service (UKPS) must establish either that the applicant has parental rights or that a person with parental rights has given consent. In most cases where a child is in foster care parental rights are not transferred to the foster parent. The UKPS therefore advises the local authority to make the application in such circumstances and give details of the care order or other court order which deals with the issue of parental rights. Applications in which this information is provided are not delayed.