§ Mr. MaddenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the office he established in Liverpool to process British citizenship applications opened; how many staff are employed there; what is the current delay between letters arriving and being opened; what is the current total of letters to be opened; what is the average delay in dealing with applications; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. RentonThe Liverpool nationality office opened on 22 August 1988, and on 26 April 1989 119 staff were employed there. The average times taken to complete applications concluded in March 1989 were 16 months for registrations and 22 months for naturalisations.
Good progress continues to be made in processing applications for registration under the transitional provisions of the British Nationality Act 1981 and, up to the end of March 1989, the Liverpool nationality office had completed action on over 36,000 applications. The remaining registration applications at the Liverpool nationality office will be completed by the end of this financial year.
All correspondence to the immigration and nationality department is being opened and acknowledged within one day of receipt or, where fees are involved, immediately after the fees have been brought to account.