TNAG-1094-FCO40-1344-European-Community-common-format-passports-Hong-Kong-and-Dep-1981 — Page 16

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A)

B)

ANY DECISION ON COMMON FORMAT PASSPORTS WOULD BE ENTIRELY

UNRELATED TO THE NATIONALITY BILL. AGREEMENT ON A COMMON

FORMAT WAS REACHED IN PRINCIPLE BETWEEN EC HEADS OF

GOVERNMENT IN 1974, BUT NO DECISION WAS MADE THEN ON DETAILS.

DISCUSSION OF THIS ISSUE WAS REVIVED DURING THE LUXEMBOURG

PRESIDENCY AT THE BEGINNING OF 1980. IT WAS CARRIED

FURTHER FORWARD DURING THE ITALIAN AND DUTCH PRESIDENCIES.

THE EC AGREEMENT DOES NOT APPLY TO DEPENDENT TERRITORY

PASSPORTS (EXCEPT FOR GIBRALTAR). DEPENDENT TERRITORIES

(EXCEPTING GIBRALTAR) WERE SPECIFICALLY EXCLUDED FROM THE

SCOPE OF UK ACCESSION TO THE EC, AND EC RULES DO NOT AND

NEVER HAVE APPLIED THERE.

C) THERE IS NO REASON WHY HONG KONG AND OTHER DEPENDENT

TERRITORIES SHOULD NOT IN DUE COURSE ADOPT A NEW PASSPORT

LARGELY IDENTICAL TO THE EC COMMON FORMAT. PROVIDED THE

WORDS 'EUROPEAN COMMUNITY' AND CERTAIN FEATURES, SUCH AS

USE OF OTHER COMMUNITY LANGUAGES, WERE OMITTED, THERE SHOULD

BE NO DIFFICULTY OVER THIS.

D) IMPLEMENTATION OF THE EC PROPOSAL IS NOT IMMINENT. THE UK

WISHES TO COMBINE THIS CHAGGE WITH THE INTRODUCTION OF A

STANDARDISED FORMAT FOR PERSONAL DATA WHICH COULD BE MACHINE-

READ. THIS IS UNLIKELY TO BE BEFORE 1985 AND WILL TAKE SEVERAL

YEARS TO IMPLEMENT IN FULL. DEPENDENT TERRITORIES WILL BE KEPT

INFORMED OF PROGRESS.

4. AN INSPIRED PQ IS BEING ANSWERED ON 13 MARCH AS FOLLOWS:

*Q.

TO ASK THE LORD PRIVY SEAL WHETHER HER MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT

INTEND TO ADOPT THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE INTERNATION CIVIL

AVIATION ORGANISATION FOR A PASSPORT WITH MACHINE-READABLE

CAPABILITY, AND WHETHER THE NEW PASSPORT WILL BE IN A COMMON

EUROPEAN COMMUNITY FORMAT.

A. THE GOVERNMENT HAVE TAKEN A DECISION IN PRINCIPLE TO ADOPT

AS SOON AS PRACTICABLE THE ICAO RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE

INTRODUCTION OF A PASSPORT IN A SIMPLIFIED STANDARDISED FORMAT

WHICH WILL HAVE MACHINE-READABLE CAPABILITY. HOWEVER, A

CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF WORK IS NEEDED TO ASSESS THE COSTS AND

TO OVERCOME THE TECHNICAL PROBLEMS INVOLVED, AND UNTIL THIS

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