Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the PCS press notice of 26 April 2022 on passport services, how many new staff have been recruited by HM Passport Office in the last two years; and what proportion of those new staff are agency staff.
Answered by Kevin Foster
Staffing numbers at Her Majesty’s Passport Office have increased by over 1200 since April 2021. Its recruitment will continue to cover any attrition, to ensure that the passport service remains fully resourced.
We are committed to ensuring public services are run as efficiently and effectively as possible. Given elevated demand will not continue indefinitely, it is appropriate to have flexible resources available. Therefore, while there has been some recruitment of civil servants, the use of agency workers is appropriate in this context.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to Answer of 16 June 2022 to Question 15396 on Passports, whether her Department holds a weekly breakdown of data between March and May 2022 on the processing times of UK passport (a) applications and (b) renewals.
Answered by Kevin Foster
Since April 2021, people applying for a passport have been advised to allow up to ten weeks when applying for their British passport as more than 5 million people delayed applying due to the pandemic. This guidance is in place for all applications from the UK, including those for a first British passport and renewals.
Between March and May 98.5% of UK applications processed were completed within ten weeks.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to Answers of 8 June 2022 to Questions 10035 to10038, whether her Department holds weekly data on the processing times of UK passport (a) applications and (b) renewals.
Answered by Kevin Foster
Since April 2021, people have been advised to allow up to ten weeks when applying for their British passport as more than 5 million people delayed applying due to the pandemic.
Between March and May 2022, over 90% of applications processed were completed within six weeks, with approximately 98.5% completed within ten weeks.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of UK passport (a) applications and (b) renewals submitted in the week beginning 28 March 2022 were processed within 10 weeks by HM Passport Office.
Answered by Kevin Foster
Since April 2021, people have been advised to allow up to ten weeks when applying for their British passport as more than 5 million people delayed applying due to the pandemic. 98.6% of all passport applications continue to be dealt with well within 10 weeks.
A British passport cannot be issued until all checks are satisfactorily completed to confirm the applicant is entitled to one. If further information is required to enable an application to be progressed, then it will take longer.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of UK passport (a) applications and (b) renewals submitted in the week beginning 21 March 2022 were processed within 10 weeks by HM Passport Office.
Answered by Kevin Foster
Since April 2021, people have been advised to allow up to ten weeks when applying for their British passport as more than 5 million people delayed applying due to the pandemic. 98.6% of all passport applications continue to be dealt with well within 10 weeks.
A British passport cannot be issued until all checks are satisfactorily completed to confirm the applicant is entitled to one. If further information is required to enable an application to be progressed, then it will take longer.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of UK passport (a) applications and (b) renewals submitted in the week beginning 14 March 2022 were processed within 10 weeks by HM Passport Office.
Answered by Kevin Foster
Since April 2021, people have been advised to allow up to ten weeks when applying for their British passport as more than 5 million people delayed applying due to the pandemic. 98.6% of all passport applications continue to be dealt with well within 10 weeks.
A British passport cannot be issued until all checks are satisfactorily completed to confirm the applicant is entitled to one. If further information is required to enable an application to be progressed, then it will take longer.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of UK passport (a) applications and (b) renewals submitted in the week beginning 7 March 2022 were processed within 10 weeks by HM Passport Office.
Answered by Kevin Foster
Since April 2021, people have been advised to allow up to ten weeks when applying for their British passport as more than 5 million people delayed applying due to the pandemic. 98.6% of all passport applications continue to be dealt with well within 10 weeks.
A British passport cannot be issued until all checks are satisfactorily completed to confirm the applicant is entitled to one. If further information is required to enable an application to be progressed, then it will take longer.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of UK passport (a) applications and (b) renewals submitted in the week beginning 28 February 2022 were processed within 10 weeks by HM Passport Office.
Answered by Kevin Foster
Since April 2021, people have been advised to allow up to ten weeks when applying for their British passport as more than 5 million people delayed applying due to the pandemic. 98.6% of all passport applications continue to be dealt with well within 10 weeks.
A British passport cannot be issued until all checks are satisfactorily completed to confirm the applicant is entitled to one. If further information is required to enable an application to be progressed, then it will take longer.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what practical support and services, including legal support, will be available to help families, including constituents in Liverpool West Derby, to navigate the Afghan citizens resettlement scheme when it opens.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The first to be resettled through the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) will be many of those who arrived in the UK under the evacuation programme, which included individuals who were considered to be at particular risk.
Eligible evacuees already in the UK who currently hold Leave Outside the Rules can, if they wish, seek legal advice as part of the process.
All those brought to the UK eligible for the ACRS will have the right to work, access to education and health care and be able to apply for public funds. To ensure they will be supported properly, changes have been made to legislation where necessary, so that they do not need to meet the habitual residence test when applying for benefits.
Under the ACRS, councils will receive £20,520 per person, over 3 years, to enable them to support these vulnerable people as they rebuild their lives in the UK. Councils also receive additional funding per child towards educational costs, and can claim £850 per adult to provide additional English language tuition in the first year after arrival.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Afghan citizens resettlement scheme will open by the end of 2021.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme remains under development. Officials are working urgently to stand up the remaining elements of the scheme. The first to be resettled through this scheme will be some of those who arrived in the UK under the evacuation programme, which included individuals who were considered to be at particular risk.
Further information on the eligibility, prioritisation and referral of people for the ACRS is set out in the policy statement published on gov.uk on 13 September, available at www.gov.uk/government/publications/afghanistan-resettlement-and-immigration-policy-statement.