CONFIDENTIAL
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A
B
C
Background
3. In his statement in the House on 24 July 1984 on the introduction
of the CFP, the Home Secretary said "our aim is to have a computerised
system in place serving the public by 1987". The linkage between
the CFP and machine readability, which effectively demands a
computerised issuing system, had been announced by the Prime Minister
in March 1981, and was reaffirmed in inter-Ministerial discussion in
March 1984. A factor in the decision to proceed on this basis was
the Home Office's belief on the strength of a CCTA consultant's report
that there was a reasonable chance of introducing computerisation by
1987.
D
4. As Information Technology Department warned, the technical problems
are proving more difficult than the Home Office expected when they
took over the Passport Office. Unless something is done, introduction
of the CFP is therefore likely to be delayed. A further stumbling
block is that the Treasury are withholding the additional funds which
would be required to enable the Home Office to go to immediate tender
on the basis of the full study report. They have told the Home Office
they may call for tenders if they can find the money from within their
own existing budgetary provisions for this year. This despite the
assurance given in the Chief Secretary's letter of 29 February 1984 to
the Home Secretary that he would not necessarily look to the Home
Office for savings to finance computerisation. Because of these
difficulties we understand that the introduction of computerisation,
and therefore of the CFP, will slip to the second half of 1988.
Phased introduction will take some 18 months to cover all 6 passport
offices in the UK. In other words, we shall still be issuing
CONFIDENTIAL
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