Asked by: Nick Smith (Labour - Blaenau Gwent)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many passport applicants have used the fast-track service for applications in each of the last six months; and if she will make an assessment of the expected number of users in each of the next six months.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The table below shows the volume of applications made using the Fast-Track service between November 2021 and April 2022:
Month | Total Fast Track Intake |
Nov-21 | 34,375 |
Dec-21 | 21,124 |
Jan-22 | 24,489 |
Feb-22 | 30,116 |
Mar-22 | 44,024 |
Apr-22 | 44,386 |
Total | 198,514 |
The forecasted number of Fast Track applications by month is not held in a reportable format. However, between May and October 2022, Her Majesty’s Passport Office expects to receive over 240,000 Fast Track applications.
Asked by: Nick Smith (Labour - Blaenau Gwent)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the estimated timeframe for passport renewals will be reduced to a three week turnaround.
Answered by Kevin Foster
Over 5 million people delayed their passport applications in 2020 and 2021. With demand for international travel having returned, Her Majesty’s Passport Office is currently receiving a higher number of passport applications than ever before. Some 9.5 million applications are expected in 2022, compared with approximately 7 million in a normal year, hence us advising since April 2021 of a longer turnaround time of 10 weeks.
We will continue to monitor when the demand for passports returns closer to normal levels and act accordingly.
Asked by: Nick Smith (Labour - Blaenau Gwent)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the customer satisfaction rating was at HM Passport Office for the latest period for which that rating was measured.
Answered by Kevin Foster
Her Majesty’s Passport Office’s customer satisfaction score is measured as the percentage of all customers who have rated the service as a 9 or 10 for their overall experience. In April 2022, this was 63%.
Asked by: Nick Smith (Labour - Blaenau Gwent)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the multiple governing bodies for many sports played in different nations throughout the Union, which of those governing bodies her Department consults when formulating policy on visa requirements for professional athletes.
Answered by Kevin Foster
Home Office officials are in regular contact with each of the recognised Sports Governing Bodies [SGB], including annually reviewing the bespoke criteria that applies to each sport. This process of review ensures we strike the right balance between enabling top level international athletes to come to the UK, whilst protecting opportunities for resident sportspeople, based on the expertise of the SGB. The Home Office approved SGBs are listed at Appendix M of the Immigration Rules: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-appendix-m-sports-governing-bodies.Any sport seeking to employ migrant professional sportspeople must be listed within Appendix M of the Immigration Rules.
Asked by: Nick Smith (Labour - Blaenau Gwent)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to consult governing bodies of sports not recognised by the home nations on visa requirements for professional athletes after the end of the transition period.
Answered by Kevin Foster
Home Office officials are in regular contact with each of the recognised Sports Governing Bodies [SGB], including annually reviewing the bespoke criteria that applies to each sport. This process of review ensures we strike the right balance between enabling top level international athletes to come to the UK, whilst protecting opportunities for resident sportspeople, based on the expertise of the SGB. The Home Office approved SGBs are listed at Appendix M of the Immigration Rules: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-appendix-m-sports-governing-bodies.Any sport seeking to employ migrant professional sportspeople must be listed within Appendix M of the Immigration Rules.
Asked by: Nick Smith (Labour - Blaenau Gwent)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what meetings she has had with governing bodies of sport on the granting of visas to self-employed professional athletes entering the UK after 1 January 2021.
Answered by Kevin Foster
Home Office officials are in regular contact with each of the recognised Sports Governing Bodies [SGB], including annually reviewing the bespoke criteria that applies to each sport. This process of review ensures we strike the right balance between enabling top level international athletes to come to the UK, whilst protecting opportunities for resident sportspeople, based on the expertise of the SGB. The Home Office approved SGBs are listed at Appendix M of the Immigration Rules: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-appendix-m-sports-governing-bodies.Any sport seeking to employ migrant professional sportspeople must be listed within Appendix M of the Immigration Rules.
Asked by: Nick Smith (Labour - Blaenau Gwent)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the annual budget is for food produced for her Department's offices; and what proportion of food produced for her Department was sourced from British producers in the last period for which figures are available.
Answered by Karen Bradley
The Home Office does not set a budget for food produced for its offices. Catering services are provided by private companies under contract at Home Office buildings and provided to staff without subsidy. Details of the proportion of food produced for the Home Office that was sourced from British producers could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Nick Smith (Labour - Blaenau Gwent)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of dairy products procured for her Department was sourced from British producers in the latest period for which figures are available.
Answered by Karen Bradley
We estimate that at least 90% of dairy products procured across the Home Office estate is sourced from British producers.