With regard to the specific application about which the Deputy has enquired, supporting documents for this application were received on 3 March 2022. Processing time for fully complete and correct applications begins from the date supporting documents are received by the Passport Service. At the time this application was received, the processing time for first time applications was 40 working days. In this specific application, the Passport Service requested additional supporting documents for the applicant which also increased the processing time. The passport was issued to the applicant on 2 June 2022.
The Passport Service is proactively managing the current demand for passports and has put in place resources and structures to address the significant increase in demand for passports in 2022 in this essential citizen service.
The Passport Service is already out-performing any previous year, despite the challenges that it has encountered over the past two years. In 2019, which was the busiest year for passports pre-Covid, the Passport Service had issued 517,000 passports by 14 June. In the same period this year, over 600,000 passports have been issued. Last year, 634,000 passports were issued in the whole year. In five and a half months, the Passport Service has issued 95% of the total number of passports that were issued in the whole of last year.
Since March, online processing times for first time applications have been reduced by 40% and these applications now take 25 working days rather than 40 days, as of Monday, 6 June. This is a direct result of the substantial level of investment that the Department has made in the Passport Service.
The Passport Service has been proactively planning for the significant increase in demand for many months and has made an unprecedented investment in the staffing and resources necessary to meet this demand.
It is currently not possible for the Passport Service to address issues with applications earlier in the process due to the volume of applications that are being received. Applications enter a queue and are checked in order of date received.
The Passport Service operates an award-winning online service, which compares favourably internationally with countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom. There is an ongoing programme of reform in the Passport Service, which continues to look at ways to enhance the customer experience for citizens.
I am satisfied overall that Passport Service operations are meeting the current needs of passport applicants and that recent service improvements are allowing the Passport Service to provide this essential citizen service in an efficient and effective manner.
