Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to Her Majesty’s Passport Office's update on passport applications published on 24 July 2020, how many passport applications are currently being processed by HM Passport Office.

Due to COVID-19, Her Majesty’s Passport Office continues to operate at reduced staffing levels so that its people can continue to socially distance, and it is therefore taking longer than usual to process passport applications. As part of its contingency arrangements, HM Passport Office is rapidly increasing its capacity for processing passport applications, in line with public health guidance, that will help to ensure that it continues to meet the travel needs of its customers.

As at 31 August 2020, passport applications work in progress is approximately 239.1k. There are a further 134,414k applications that will need to be worked through in the coming weeks once initial documentation has been received and allocated.