Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people from Sudan who had applied for a visa were awaiting a decision on 16 May 2023; and how many of those have submitted their passports to her Department.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Home Office is committed to publishing transparency data on applications by nationality as part of the immigration quarterly statistics release, which is available on the GOV.UK website.
UK Visas and Immigration are in the process of trying to contact customers who have been issued or refused visa applications in our Visa Application Centre (VAC) in Khartoum and offering them a letter confirming that their passport is securely stored and attaching a digital copy of their passport.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many passport applications took longer than ten weeks to process in the first quarter of 2023.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Across January to March 2023, 99.6% of standard UK passport applications were processed within ten weeks.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many passport applications took longer than three weeks to process in the first quarter of 2023.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Across January to March 2023, 94.6% of standard UK passport applications were processed within three weeks.
Asked by: Deidre Brock (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department last reviewed the list of accepted occupations for passport application and photo countersignatories; and whether she plans to increase the number of accepted occupations on that list.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
His Majesty’s Passport Office policy on who can act as a referee is kept under review as part of the general programme of work to transform and modernise the passport application process. Any changes to the policy would be announced to Parliament and reflected in published HM Passport Office guidance.
The list of recognised professions can be found online. This is not a definitive list, and any alternatives a customer provides must be considered. Countersigning passport applications and photos: Accepted occupations for countersignatories - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
Asked by: Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to prevent delays in processing passport applications; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Between January and April 2023, 99.5% of customers using the standard UK service received their passport within the published processing timeframe of ten weeks.
Asked by: Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps steps she is taking to improve waiting times for passport applications; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Between January and April 2023, 99.5% of customers using the standard UK service received their passport within the published processing timeframe of ten weeks.
Asked by: Deidre Brock (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance her Department has provided to passport applicants who do not know anyone who meets the criteria for photograph counter-signatories.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
His Majesty’s Passport Office engages with customers on a case by case basis where they tell us they do not know anyone who meets the criteria for acting as an acceptable counter-signatory. Published HM Passport Office guidance provides advice to passport examiners in considering exercising discretion in these cases. Confirming ID: referees - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Customers can call the Passport Adviceline if they have questions about a passport application.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Neston)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applications to cancel passports have been made as a result of non-payment of child maintenance in the last 12 months.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) has a wide range of enforcement powers available to use for those parents who will not engage in a negotiated debt repayment plan for unpaid maintenance. Any enforcement power that would be recommended to the Courts is usually based on the level of debt and consideration of the ability to repay within the time periods set out in our legislation, as well as the most appropriate sanction for the circumstances of the parent.
These powers are intended to be a strong deterrent to encourage parents to meet their obligations.
During the last 12 months CMS has not applied for a passport confiscation on non-paying cases.
Details of enforcement powers used can be found within the Child Maintenance published statistics at tables 7.1 and 7.2 here.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his international counterparts on taking steps to help ensure that there is a safe route out of Sudan for people that have submitted their passports to western embassies in support of visa applications.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The FCDO and Home Office have worked together closely throughout the course of the crisis response. Where Sudanese people cannot access their travel documents due to an ongoing UK visa application, the Home Office will facilitate practical solutions to ensure this does not impede individuals' planned travel.
The Foreign Secretary, FCDO Ministers and officials have engaged with a range of international partners on evacuation planning and continue to coordinate on efforts to de-escalate tensions in Sudan.
Asked by: Peter Kyle (Labour - Hove)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to increase the availability of appointments for priority services at the Passport Office before 6 May 2023.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Appointments continue to be offered throughout this period of industrial action, and new appointments are released every day. As is always the case, for anyone that requires a passport on compassionate grounds for urgent travel, our services are available.
HM Passport Office has processed almost 2.6 million applications up to the end of March 2023, with 99.6% of standard UK applications being processed within ten weeks and over 94.6% being processed within three weeks.