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.

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.