§ Mr. CoakerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what advice his Department gives to persons who(a) need a passport urgently and (b) have not received their passport and are due to travel in the immediate future. [86971]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienThe Passport Agency is currently processing applications by customers' declared travel dates, and is meeting those dates for 99.99 per cent. of passports issued.
In circumstances where a passport has not been received and an applicant is travelling within four days, the Agency's advice is to attend personally at the office to which the application was made. This should not be left to the last day in case there are problems with the application.
Where the travel need is less pressing but still urgent my letter to hon. Members of 10 June gave contact telephone and fax numbers that should be used for urgent inquiries by passport applicants. Alternatively and as indicated in the Agency's any problems leaflet, applicants can write to Kevin Sheehan, the Agency's Director of Operations at Passport Agency Headquarters, Room 201, Clive House, Petty France, London SW1H 9HD.
The Agency's policy is to reimburse applicants if unsatisfactory service causes them additional expense, for example through having to call personally at a passport office.