MPs doubt passport longevity
All new British passports will feature the new technology
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Wednesday, 10, Oct 2007 12:01
MPs have voiced their concerns over the longevity of Britain's new electronic passports in a new report out today.
The House of Commons' public accounts committee (PAC) draws attention to the fact that the manufacturer's warranty for the electronic chip component of the new 'ePassports' only lasts two years.
As each new passport remains valid for ten years, committee chairman Edward Leigh believes public concerns about who will pay for passports whose chips fail are legitimate.
"The prospect of ePassport failures contributing to yet further delays at border controls is not an enticing one," he commented.
The report also questioned why the government was not combining the passport with its identity card project.
"At the very least, the Identity and Passport Service (IPS) should reduce areas of overlap as the identity card project progresses and make sure that the combined fee for the two documents is minimised," Mr Leigh added.
A Home Office spokesperson said he welcomed the report, "in particular the PAC's recognition that this successful project was delivered on time and on budget".
Tackling the objections on ID cards, he added: "By developing common systems and common application processes to support both second biometric passports and ID cards we are ensuring best value for money.
"Obviously we only issue British passports to British citizens: the national identity scheme will cover all adult residents in the UK including foreign nationals."
UK authorities were pushed into strengthening border controls after US officials threatened to deny the waived visa to Britons travelling across the Atlantic.
The move to ePassports, which hold important biographical information and an image of the holder's face, has cost those wishing to travel abroad, however – each ePassport costs £66, £15 more than its low-tech predecessor.