To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many forged documents were confiscated at the UK’s borders by (a) the UK Border Agency and (b) UK Visas in 2007-08. (227217)

Due to the vigilance of UK Border Agency staff, between 1 April 2007 and 31 March 2008 a total of 3,338 fraudulent passports (or other identity documents used in lieu of passports) were detected by UK Border Agency officers at ports of entry. Of this total 1,696 documents were forged, the remainder being counterfeits, fraudulently obtained or being used by an individual seeking to impersonate the rightful holder.