§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr. Bill Rammell)My right hon. Friend the Baroness Amos undertook to inform the House of the number of British overseas territories citizens that have applied for British citizen passports; and the number of new applicants seeking British overseas territories citizenship in the first year of implementation of the British Overseas Territories Act 2002.
A total of 7,079 British citizen passports were issued to British overseas territories citizens in the period May to December 2002 and 5,174 in the period January to May 2003. That is a total of 12,250 since the citizenship provisions of the British Overseas Territories Act came into force on 21 May 2002.
A total of 1,359 new applicants applied for British overseas territories citizenship in the first year of implementation of the citizenship provisions of the British Overseas Territories Act 2002.