HM Passport Office: Backlogs

Earl of Erroll Excerpts

Thursday 12th May 2022 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Williams of Trafford (Con)]

HMPO’s staffing numbers have increased by 500 since last April, and it is in the process of recruiting a further 700 people. In total, as of 1 April this year, there were more than 4,000 staff in passport production roles.

[The Earl of Erroll (CB)]

First, I am reassured. The reason I knew it was six months—I will point out another wrinkle in this—is that I was going abroad in March, so I anticipated this issue and sent my application off early. It was very efficient and I got my passport back really quite quickly. The only problem was that the courier kept trying to deliver it to the wrong address because of the postcode—but do not worry about that. There was no way of putting in an extra message for the delivery driver saying, “Please go to the gate at something or other”—because I live in the countryside. Anyway, leaving that aside, the process was very efficient.

But there is another wrinkle. Normally, when you renew early in the UK—I realise that this particularly concerns us Scots, who worry about money—that extra period is put on to your passport. The expiry date is taken from when the current passport expires. The EU counts it from when it arrives—that is, the renewal date—so be careful, because you lose that bit that you used to get credited with on your passport under the old British system. Personally, I think that it is unfair. I am delighted that the passport can just put it on, but you do need to warn travellers that they might need to add a bit more on.

The thing I really want to ask, though, is this: what plans are there to deal with the extra 1,200 staff who have been specially recruited to deal with the problem? That is quite a swelling of the Civil Service at a time when I thought we were trying to economise and cut back. Are these people full-time staff that the Civil Service will have to retain for ever and somehow find other employment for—or what plans have we for downsizing again when the crisis is over?

[Baroness Williams of Trafford (Con)]

Again, the noble Lord makes a good point. I will inquire as to whether we have recruited permanent staff or agency staff. If they are permanent full-time staff, they can of course be flexible to meet the needs of other parts of the Civil Service.