§ Bob SpinkTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when a British passport with biometric data and bar coding will be available; and at what cost. [147553]
§ Beverley HughesThe United Kingdom Passport Service and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office are working on a joint programme to issue electronically enabled passports capable of supporting the applications of facial recognition software. The programme plans to start issuing this new form of passport in mid 2005 with a phased roll out through the remainder of that year. This will be a major technological change and it is important to introduce the new form of passports in a safe and controlled way. The possibility of a pilot using diplomatic passports is also being considered.
All British passports are now issued with a machine readable zone (MRZ) in compliance with ICAO standards; some media reports have described this as a bar code.
The cost of the new passport will depend on the method of embedding the contactless computer chip into the passport book. Four prototype methods have been developed and are subject to durability tests. Information on likely costs will be developed during the pilots.
§ Bob SpinkTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how an applicant for a new British passport will be able to provide biometric information for the passport; and how system security will be guaranteed. [147554]
§ Beverley HughesThe new British passport will support facial recognition and the biometric data will be provided by applicants in the form of a photograph. These photographs will need to comply with format standards and new guidance notes are being prepared.
The current security accreditation of passport issuing systems will be maintained and the electronic information stored in the document will be secured by a digital signature at the time of issue.
§ Bob SpinkTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the forms of biometric and bar code data that will be encompassed within the new British passport. [147596]
§ Beverley HughesThe new British passport, which it is planned will be issued from mid 2005 onwards, will store electronically a portrait or image of the applicant of sufficient resolution to support the application of any form of facial recognition software. In addition, some of the information printed on the biodata page of the passport will also be stored electronically.
This information will be stored on contactless computer chip and will be digitally signed when issued to prevent alteration and confirm authentication.
All British passports already contain a machine readable zone (MRZ) which contains some of the same biodata; some media reports have described this as a bar code.