§ Mr. SpellerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the speed and efficiency of the passport issuing offices; and if he will consider instituting regional offices for this purpose.
§ Mr. RentonI refer my hon. Friend to the reply given on 6 June to a question from the hon. Member for Bolton, South-East (Mr. Young) at column47. There are at present six regional passport offices in the United Kingdom. Since the great majority of passport applications are usually dealt with by post, the location of the issuing office is not normally a significant factor in determining the speed of service. We shall, however, be reviewing the location and number of offices later this year.