§ Miss McIntoshTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average time taken was to process an application for British nationality in the last five years was; and if he(a) has taken and (b) intends to take action to reduce that waiting time. [137072]
§ Beverley HughesThere are no data published on actual decision times to determine applications for British citizenship. Information on expected waiting times for citizenship applications are available on the IND website; www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk and is periodically updated. As at the end of October 2003 the expected average processing times were:
698W
Applications Months Naturalisation 6.2 Adult 2.0 Minor 6.9 Other 1.4 However, this time may be significantly reduced if all relevant documents are sent with the application form.
The casework consideration process has been extensively reviewed by the Nationality Group to minimise delays. This has resulted in a reduction to waiting times during this financial year; over 25 per cent. of cases are now decided within one month of receipt. In addition to this, a review of Nationality Group processes was commissioned to focus on ways of reducing the backlog of work and cutting waiting times further. The review report was accepted by the Minister in October. An action plan is now being formulated to take forward its recommendations.