§ Sir David PriceTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how long it takes on average to process an application form for a new passport; and what are the reasons why a passport is not issued immediately the application form is presented to the Passport Office.
§ Mr. Peter LloydThe processing of a passport application involves a number of stages, including examination of the application and accompanying documents, accounting for the fee, and preparing and issuing the passport. The precise time taken at each stage varies according to the type of application and other factors, and details are not recorded. Passports cannot normally be issued immediately because of the number and variety of the applications received, but priority is given to urgent cases.
§ Sir David PriceTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will simplify the application forms for passports; and if he will appoint a qualified work study engineer to analyse the relevance of the current questions asked on the application form.
§ Mr. Peter LloydPassport application forms were considerably revised and simplified in 1988 in connection with computerisation of the passport service, in the light of advice from forms design experts and the results of user trials. The design and content of the forms are kept under constant review for ease of completion and to ensure that the information requested is kept to a necessary minimum.