§ Mr. Eadieasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department it- he will investigate the management and administration of the Glasgow passport office, in the light of its current slowness of response to inquiries from the public; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. WaddingtonDemand for standard passports in Scotland so far this year has increased by 27 per cent. compared with the same six-month period in 1985. This sharp increase in demand and the residual effects of industrial action in passport offices earlier this year have caused abnormal and regrettable delays in dealing with passport applications.
Steps have been taken to reduce the delays including the recruitment of temporary staff, overtime working and the transfer of work to the Liverpool passport office where at present average processing times are shorter.
I confidently expect that the Glasgow passport office will soon be able to respond to inquiries from the public in the normal prompt manner.