§ Lord Lairdasked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Amos on 26 November (WA 1), which indicated an increase in excess of 87 per cent in the number of applications for British passports from residents of the Irish Republic over the past five years, whether they will make British passports available to all residents of the Republic in an act of parity and equality with the availability of Irish passport; to residents in any part of the United Kingdom. [HL1745]
§ The Lord Privy Seal (Lord Williams of Mostyn)Eligibility for a British passport depends upon whether the applicant is British, and this in turn is determined by British nationality law, principally the British Nationality Act 1981. We do not believe that reciprocity for the residents of Ireland is necessary or acceptable as a basis on which to determine eligibility for British nationality and have no plans to amend the law in this respect.