Written question asked by Lord Marlesford (Conservative), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord West of Spithead (Labour) on Thursday, 25 October 2007.

Passports

Question: asked Her Majesty's Government:What would have been the additional revenue from making a charge of (a) £100, and (b) £200 for the issuing of replacement passports for those reported lost or stolen over the past 12 months.

Answer: The Identity and Passport Service (IPS) operates a published passport pricing structure that reflects the service level an applicant is both eligible for and that he/she wishes to apply for. The standard adult fee for a replacement application is one such fee and was £66 prior to its increase to £72 on 4 October. Based on the previous standard adult fee, the additional revenue for making a charge of (a) £100 and (b) £200 would be £34 and (b) £134 respectively. However, not all processed reports of loss or theft result in the issuance of a replacement passport as some individuals choose to replace their passport at a later date. For the year 1 October 2006 to 30 September 2007, IPS processed the following reports of loss or theft of a passport: lost = 249,241; stolen = 41,741; other = 10,548.

Secondary information