§ Mr. DavidsonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many British passports have been issued to individuals previously citizens of the overseas territories broken down by(a) territory, (b) age and (c) sex; and what assessment he has made of the efficiency of the operation. [71653]
§ Beverley HughesThere is no single system for issuing passports to people who are British citizens under the British Overseas Territories Act 2002. Those who are resident in the United Kingdom may apply to the usual Passport Office for their region. Those resident in territories where British passport issuing facilities are available locally or through a convenient British diplomatic post may apply in the territory. As a temporary measure until alternative arrangements are in place, applications in other territories are being sent to the Liverpool passport office for processing. Figures are available only for those applications dealt with at Liverpool and are given in the table. Applications from UK residents are being dealt with at the same speed as other first applications: 2 weeks for the standard service, 1 week for the fast track service at United Kingdom Passport Service counters. The total turnaround times for applications from overseas territories dealt with in Liverpool depend mainly on transport links between the territory and the UK; the Liverpool office handles the application within the 2 week standard service.
Applications dealt with 21 May to 18 July 2002 Child Adult Male Female Male Female Anguilla 82 83 40 43 Ascension 20 11 5 1 British Virgin Islands 109 102 38 30 Cayman Islands 99 77 19 5 Gibraltar* 104 105 22 13 Montserrat 43 28 7 12 St Helena 25 30 5 7 * Includes 104 adults and 26 children registered as British citizens under Section 5 of the British Nationality Act 1981
§ Mr. GibbTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information will be held on the proposed passport card. [72547]
§ Beverley HughesThe proposed passport card will hold the same personal data as currently contained in the United Kingdom passport. In addition biometric information is being considered for inclusion in both passport cards and passport books.
§ Mr. GibbTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his estimate is of the number of fraudulent UK passports in existence and circulation. [72107]
§ Beverley HughesIt is not possible to say how many fraudulently issued United Kingdom passports there are in existence or in circulation. The UK Passport Service does not routinely collate comprehensive information on the number of passports which have been identified as having been issued on the basis of fraudulent applications. Also, the Passport Service is not always informed when such passports come to light.
37WThe Passport Service does measure detected fraud and has recently identified some 800 fraudulently obtained passports through its automated check on the death records of under 18 year olds in England and Wales. Details of these passports have been circulated to law enforcement agencies in the UK and to authorities abroad.
§ Mr. GibbTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what examples of passport cards in other jurisdictions he studied in his proposals for a passport card. [72123]
§ Beverley HughesThe concept of a card form of a passport has only recently been embodied into published International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) specifications (1999). Officials from the United Kingdom Passport Service have exchanged ideas about the development of passport cards with Canadian and Australian colleagues. Information has also been exchanged with Swedish, United States and New Zealand passport officials
§ Mr. GibbTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with the US Government regarding the acceptability of his proposed passport card as a replacement for the traditional passport for UK citizens entering the US. [72122]
§ Beverley HughesThe UK Passport Service's plans for a passport card are based on it not being a replacement for the passport book. Individuals will be issued with both documents.
The card is planned primarily as a convenient travel document for United Kingdom citizens to use in Europe. In addition an extension of its use, via bilateral agreements, to countries not requiring UK citizens to hold a visa will be pursued. Discussions between officials from the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand have indicated a secure passport card would be acceptable, but no formal approach has been made to gain acceptance from these countries.
The US is currently revising its border control strategy, including visa waiver arrangements. This may impact on the acceptability of a UK passport card in the US.
§ Mr. GibbTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the(a) European Union and (b) international standards with which a passport card must comply. [72121]
§ Beverley HughesStandards for machine readable travel documents have been established by International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). This United Nations body publishes specifications in Document 9303 in three separate parts. Part 1 covers passports, Part 2 visas and Part 3 cards.
These standards have wide international acceptance. Part 1 of the document includes card forms of the passport within its scope but refers to Part 3 for the technical specifications that should apply. A United Kingdom passport card will comply with the specifications in Part 3.
38WEuropean Union member states comply with Doc 9303 for the design of their travel documents. In addition, member states of the European Union have agreed on a joint resolution on minimum security standards for travel documents. The UK passport card will comply with this resolution.
§ Mr. WrayTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if a person may countersign a passport application if they themselves do not possess a passport. [72527]
§ Beverley HughesNo. A requirement for countersignatories to be British or Irish passport holders was introduced at the same time as the definition of acceptable countersignatories was broadened. Applications may now be countersigned by any professional persons or persons of standing in the community, but they must hold a current United Kingdom or Irish passport. This gives applicants the widest choice of countersignatories at the same time as improving security by allowing a 100 per cent. check on the identity of countersignatories from the UK Passport Service records or by arrangement with the Irish authorities.