§ Mr. McCrindleTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will estimate the increase in passport applications since 1979; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. RentonThe increase in demand, in terms of the number of standard passports issued, is as follows:
Year Standard passports issued 1979 1,809,091 1987 2,041,220 1988 (January-October) 12,171,858 1 Provisional total.
§ Mr. McCrindleTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will estimate the number of extra permanent and temporary staff recruited by passport offices since 1979; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. RentonThe information, covering the six United Kingdom passport offices, is as follows:
174W
Year Highest number of staff in post in any month1 Permanent staff Casual staff 1979 901 182 1988 956 285 1 Includes headquarters staff.
§ Mr. McCrindleTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will estimate the number of hours of overtime worked in each passport office in 1987; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. RentonThe information is shown in the table below.
Hours of overtime worked during 1987 Passport office Hours London 38,213 Liverpool 43,591 Peterborough 13,083 Newport 28,345 Glasgow 16,269 Belfast Nil Total 139,501
§ Mr. McCrindleTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will estimate the cost to public funds of payments for overtime made to passport office staff; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. RentonThe cost of running the passport service, including salaries, is reflected in the level of passport fees, and does not represent a net charge to public funds.
§ Mr. McCrindleTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if his Department has made any forecasts of passport application levels to 1991; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. RentonThe latest estimate of demand for standard passports to the end of 1990 is as follows:
Million 1988 2.4 1989 2.75 1990 3.0
§ Mr. McCrindleTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects the passport issuing computer system to become fully operational; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. RentonThe system is already fully operational in Glasgow. It should have been extended to all other passport offices in the United Kingdom by the end of 1989.