Written question asked by Robert Walter (Conservative) on Wednesday, 3 September 2008, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 10 September 2008. It was answered by Baroness Merron (Labour) on Thursday, 23 October 2008 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Diplomatic Service: Passports

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many valid UK diplomatic passports are held by (a) serving accredited UK diplomats, (b) other Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials, (c) serving military personnel, (d) officials of other Government Departments, (e) Ministers of the Crown, (f) hon. Members who do not hold ministerial office and (g) others.

Answer: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not keep separate records of diplomatic and official passports issued, nor does it break down how many passports are issued to staff and dependants who are not members of the Diplomatic Service.A manual check of all diplomatic and official passport application forms would be required to provide this information. This would incur a disproportionate cost.Foreign and Commonwealth Office practice is to issue diplomatic passports to officers who are to serve as diplomatic agents abroad. Official passports are issued to those who are to serve as administrative or technical staff. The guidelines under which they are to be issued are rigorously defined to accredited personnel and dependants on overseas postings. Diplomatic and official passports are issued to staff other than members of the Diplomatic Service, given that it is not only diplomatic staff that go on overseas postings.

Secondary information