refuse or withdraw passports may be reviewed by the courts. The operation of these provisions rarely leads to the outright refusal of passport facilities. The procedure is as follows:
Category (a) (Minors).
The applicant is advised of the existence of the court order and how to obtain the necessary consents. If these are not forthcoming, the application is generally withdrawn. When an application is made to a consular post overseas, an emergency passport would be provided to enable the child to travel to the United Kingdom;
Category (b) (Warrants of arrest). On receipt of a passport application in the United Kingdom, efforts are made to put the warrant into effect, and the application is held in abeyance. The passport would be issued on conclusion of the case. Overseas there have been very few cases, perhaps two or three in recent years, where full passport facilities have been refused. Again an emergency passport for return to the United Kingdom is offered in all cases;
Category (c) (Undesirable activities). About 25 persons have had their passports withdrawn since 1947 on the ground of overriding public interest, mainly in cases involving subversion or espionage;
Category (d) (Repatriation Debtors). Records show that 744 persons were repatriated at public expense in 1988. Their passports are impounded on arrival in the United Kingdom pending repayment of the cost of repatriation. If a further passport application is made before the debt is cleared, the procedure is similar to that under (a) and (b). On receipt of an application, the debtor is contacted and asked to repay the money, which he usually does. If repayment is impossible, and there is an urgent need to travel, a passport of limited validity will be issued. The Passport Office receives about one such application per month.
179. There is no power in United Kingdom legislation to prevent persons embarking from the United Kingdom. Immigration officers operating outward passport controls do, however, alert the police where there is reason to believe that a person is a ward of court and may not be removed from the court's jurisdiction without the court's authority. In such cases it would be for the police to decide what action, if any, to take.
180. Persons leaving the United Kingdom may be required to produce a valid passport or some other document satisfactorily establishing their identity and nationality or citizenship, and those who do not are warned of the risks of travelling overseas without proper documentation. Ultimately, however, a person who insisted on leaving could not be prevented from so doing.
Restriction orders: prevention of football hooliganism
181. The Government has decided that specific new powers are required to prevent the attendance of certain convicted football hooligans at designated football matches outside England and Wales. The proposed new provisions are contained in part II of the Football Spectators Bill before Parliament at the 1988/89 session.
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