§ 27. Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department by what method he plans to calculate compensation payments to citizens missing overseas trips due to difficulties at the UK Passport Agency. [89238]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienCompensation is calculated to restore the claimant to the financial position they would have enjoyed had an acceptable level of service in processing their passports been provided. Each case is considered carefully on its merits and a claimant will be asked to provide documentary evidence of the cost of their loss of an overseas trip and confirm they have made no other claim for compensation.
§ 33. Ann ClwydTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on progress with measures to reduce delays at the Passport Agency. [89244]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienThe Passport Agency is continuing to prioritise applications by travel dates, and is meeting those dates in 99.99 per cent. of cases. In order to improve on this it is recruiting an additional 100 staff above the 300 already deployed. The Agency is working extended hours and straightforward renewal applications are being exceptionally extended by passport offices, and from 7 July at main Post Offices. These measures have boosted output by 24 per cent. over last year.
Adverts were placed in the national and regional media on 2 July advising the general public awaiting or applying for a passport what to do. A special telephone helpline has been set up for inquiries.
The Agency's intake is now falling, and this together with the measures it is taking should enable it to reduce current delays, and get its turnround time down to 10 days by the end of September.
§ Mr. BeithTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations the Passport Agency made to his Department on the impact of(a) the changes relating to the issuing of passports for children and (b) the introduction of new information technology systems on (i) staffing and (ii) resource levels; and if he will make a statement. [90946]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienThe impact of separate passports for children and the new Information Technology system were built into the Passport Agency's planning assumptions which underpinned its 1998–99 Business Plan and 1998–2001 Corporate Plan.
As indicated by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department in the debate on Passport Delays on 29 June 1999, Official Report, columns 140–96, we were aware in late-March that the Agency's turnround times and arrears were higher than expected. An action plan was agreed including the recruitment of 300 extra staff and other measures which the Agency's management believed would deal with the problems.
71WThe surge in intake from April led to a further deterioration, and further measures have been taken to reduce processing delays.
The Agency has continued to meet more than 99.99 per cent. of travel dates, and expects to continue to do so. The Agency very much regrets the difficulties that have arisen this year. It aims to reduce its turnround time for clearing straightforward applications to ten days by the end of September.
§ Mr. HealeyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the latest situation on delays in issuing passports by the Passport Agency. [89249]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienAs of yesterday, the number of applications waiting to be processed was just under 500,000, a reduction of 6 per cent. on the previous week's figure. This figure is equivalent to just under four weeks output.
However more than half of these applications are for people indicating travel dates for August, September and beyond. The Passport Agency is prioritising work according to travel dates, and in the vast majority of cases—99.99 per cent.—applicants are receiving their passports in time to travel. It is taking steps to improve on this. The Agency have employed 300 additional staff, and are recruiting a further 100. It is working extended hours, streamlining its processes and using exceptional extensions to renew passports both at Passport Offices and main Post Offices. The Agency's intake is now falling, and this together with the special measures it is taking will reduce delays and enable it to hit its target of processing all properly completed applications by the end of September.
§ Mr. LidingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 28 June 1999,Official Report, columns 77–78, how many passport applications have been endorsed with a two-year extension in each week from the week beginning 31 May to the last week for which information is available; and how many of those renewals were of passports which included the names of children aged under 16 years. [90560]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienThe table shows the number of extensions that have been made in the weeks requested:
Week commencing Number of extensions 31 May 1999 5,585 7 June 1999 5,141 14 June 1999 4,553 21 June 1999 4,098 28 June 1999 4,530 Total 23,907 Separate records are not kept of extensions made where children are included on a passport.