THE POST OFFICE AND UK PASSPORT SERVICES

Early day motion 972, tabled 8 November 2005 by Michael Connarty (Labour). Signed by 128 members.

That this House notes that despite key passport services having been provided across the UK for many years through the Post Office network with the result that Post Office Ltd and its employees have developed considerable knowledge and experience of these services, the UK Passport Service intends to procure 70 new offices to act as sites for interviews for first time passport applicants under rules that will not allow interviews on premises that also provide Post Office services; believes that security sensitive services like passport interviews should be carried out by civil servants in suitable publicly-owned offices; does not believe that the creation of a new network of privately owned offices at considerable expense to the taxpayer is either necessary or desirable when the proposal contains rules which deny the Post Office a level playing field on which to compete and denies the public the use of available Crown post offices which they have indicated they prefer to use in the pilot studies while simultaneously undermining the long-term viability of a publicly-owned enterprise; and calls on the Government and UK Passport Services to alter the rules to allow the utilisation of the Post Office network to carry out these interviews.

Signatures by party: Labour 87, Liberal Democrat 23, DUP 7, Scottish National Party 4, Conservative 3, Plaid Cymru 2, Respect 1, Social Democratic and Labour Party 1.