Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) permanent, (b) full-time equivalent, (c) agency and (d) other staff were recruited to HM Passport Office in the period between 1 April 2021 and 31 December 2021.

Staffing numbers at Her Majesty’s Passport Office have increased by over 1200 since April 2021. Its recruitment will continue to cover any attrition, ensuring 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 would be inappropriate to increase resources on a permanent basis. Therefore, while there has been some recruitment of civil servants, most of these additional staff have been agency workers.