Closed petition Reform UK passport application tracking and options to fast-track applications

Petition progress

View all updates for this petition, with the most recent first.

• 27 October 2022

  Related activity

  Home Office responds to calls to improve management of passport applications

  The Minister for Safe and Legal Migration has responded to a letter from the Home Affairs Committee, in which MPs called for improvements to how the Passport Office manages applications.

  • Read the Committee's letter to the Home Office
  • Read the response from the Home Office

  The exchange of letters follows an evidence session the Home Affairs Committee held into Passport Office backlogs, after which the Home Affairs Committee wrote to the Home Secretary recommending a number of changes to how the Passport Office manages applications.

  How has the Government responded to the Committee's recommendations?

  In its response to the Committee's letter, the Minister for Safe and Legal Migration says that:

  • There would be value in exploring options to spread demand for passport applications across the full year, but they have not yet identified a viable incentive to bring demand forward to the autumn or winter.

  • The Committee's recommendations for changes and additions to customer messaging would will help to inform HM Passport Office’s work to review customer messaging ahead of the continued elevated demand that is expected in 2023.

  • Options have been explored to increase appointment capacity to further support customers with urgent travel needs, and this work led to the opening of an eighth public counter in early June.

  • It does not consider it sensible to offer an emergency service for passport extensions of up to 6 months.

  Home Affairs Committee scrutiny of Passport Office backlogs

  MPs on the House of Commons Home Affairs Committee examined Passport Office backlogs in a one-off 'evidence session' on Wednesday 20 July, and called for improvements to how the Passport Office manages applications. Following its evidence session, the Home Affairs Committee wrote to the Home Secretary calling for improvements to how the Passport Office manages applications.

  • Find out more about the session
  • Find out about the Committee's calls for improvements

  What is the Home Affairs Committee?

  The Home Affairs Committee is a cross-party group of backbench MPs that looks into the work of the Home Office and its associated public bodies.

  • Find out more about the Committee
  • Follow the Committee on Twitter for updates on its work.

  The Home Affairs Committee is a select committee. Find out how select committees work.

  Get involved in the work of the UK Parliament

  Sign up to the Your UK Parliament newsletter for the latest information on how to get involved and make a difference.

• 18 October 2022

  Petition closed

• 25 July 2022

  Related activity

  MPs examine Passport Office backlogs

  The MPs on the House of Commons Home Affairs Committee have examined Passport Office backlogs in a one-off 'evidence session' on Wednesday 20 July, and called for improvements to how the Passport Office manages applications.

  • Find out more about the session
  • Find out about the Committee's calls for improvements

  Evidence session on passport backlogs

  During the session, MPs took evidence from Passport Office director Thomas Greig, travel expert Simon Calder, and Ed Clarke from TNT Courier Service, which is contracted by the Home Office to deliver passports.

  • Watch the evidence session
  • Read a transcript of the session

  Topics discussed at the session included:

  • Delays in processing passport applications
  • Issues with the courier service used to deliver passports
  • The service provided by the Passport Adviceline

  MPs call for Passport Office reforms

  Following its evidence session, the Home Affairs Committee has written to the Home Secretary calling for improvements to how the Passport Office manages applications. In its letter, the Committee calls for:

  • the Home Office to review the terms of its contract with Teleperformance to ensure improved performance and avoid applicants being left in the dark
  • more pro-active communication to manage demand, for example contacting customers during periods of low demand to encourage early applications
  • modification of the digital application system to enable family groups to be linked and processed at the same time, avoiding gaps of several weeks between individual passports arriving
  • monitoring of the number of people attempting to access the priority service and consider setting minimum targets for the number of new slots made available each day
  • extensions of up to six months to be offered for passports nearing expiry under certain circumstances

  Read the Committee's letter to the Home Office.

  What is an evidence session?

  An evidence session is a hearing where people with expert knowledge or experience of a particular topic, such as Government officials, academics, or campaigners, answer questions from MPs on that topic. They help the MPs on a committee to gain a deeper understanding of the topic being investigated.

  What is the Home Affairs Committee?

  The Home Affairs Committee is a cross-party group of backbench MPs that looks into the work of the Home Office and its associated public bodies.

  • Find out more about the Committee
  • Follow the Committee on Twitter for updates on its work.

  The Home Affairs Committee is a select committee. Find out how select committees work.

  Get involved in the work of the UK Parliament

  Sign up to the Your UK Parliament newsletter for the latest information on how to get involved and make a difference.

• 4 April 2022

  Petition published

  This petition can now be signed.

  If this petition gets 10,000 signatures, government will respond to it.

  If this petition gets 100,000 signatures, it will be considered for debate in Parliament.

  This petition will stay open until 18 October 2022.