Passports: Forgery

Andrew Rosindell
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many forged passports have been seized each year since 1997.

Mr. Woolas
The following table details the detections of false passports encountered by the Immigration and Nationality Directorate of the Home Office (before 31 March 2007), the Border and Immigration Agency (between 1 April 2007 and 31 March 2008) and the UK Border Agency (since 1 April 2008).

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|    |Number|
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|1997|4,411 |
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|1998|6,338 |
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|1999|5,516 |
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|2000|5,394 |
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|2001|7,320 |
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|2002|10,125|
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|2003|9,546 |
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|2004|10,620|
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|2005|7,712 |
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|2006|7,354 |
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|2007|6,939 |
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|2008|5,960 |
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Figures for 2009 are not yet available. Figures from 1997 to 2000 inclusive represent detections at the border only. Those from 2001 to 2008 inclusive detail detections at the border and those made in country by caseworking offices and enforcement officers. They do not include the numbers of inadequately documented passengers denied boarding by commercial carriers overseas working in conjunction with UK Immigration Liaison Officers and Managers (formerly Airline Liaison Officers) from the Risk and Liaison Overseas Network. Some of these passengers will have held false documents but precise figures for the numbers denied boarding for this reason are unavailable.