§ Mr. CryerTo ask the Lord President of the Council what is the average length of time for a House of Commons pass to be approved for an hon. Member's secretary; what efforts are being made to reduce this time; and if he will make a statement.
§ Sir Geoffrey HoweI understand that the average length of time taken for the processing of all Members' staff applications for Palace of Westminster photo-identity passes is five working days.
The Pass Office gives precedence for processing applications for Members' staff over all other applications. The figure quoted refers to applications from United Kingdom nationals who have lived in this country for the past five years. In cases where the required clearances involve foreign nationals, or where the individual concerned has lived or worked overseas in the preceding five years, further delays are usually unavoidable.