Englishmum

See the 'article' on the right hand side of the main report:


Passport Pile-Up: PM Says Backlog Is 30,000

windsong

Just LOVE how they say that the improved economy contributes to this! That is nothing whatsoever to do with the massive delay in the processing of expat applications.

mikelincs

BBC Breakfast ‏@BBCBreakfast
Minister @JBrokenshire tells #bbcbreakfast 250 extra staff have been drafted in to deal with the current passport application backlog.


BBC Breakfast ‏@BBCBreakfast

Immigration minister @JBrokenshire tells us passport applications at a 12 year high, and normal busy summer period started earlier this year

From twitter this am

windsong

It's good they are finally getting on the ball, whatever THAT means for the HMPO! It's still going to be about three months to clear that backlog (at their pace), I think, and before anyone sees passports being processed faster.

Foffion

I renewed my British passport from Japan in June 2013. I had to send all the documents to Hong Kong and it was issued in maybe 2 weeks. Just in time...

windsong

Your timing was perfect!!! It's hard to believe they are now taking 12-20 weeks.

Vexcore

At least this news has finally hit the 'media' and now you see good old lying twat Cameron talking about it.

so this might get things moving now.

windsong

I haven't seen ANYONE say they like Cameron.

BritInParis

It's hitting a twelve year high because this is the first summer where all overseas applications are being processed in the UK. It's not a coincidence that the delays are at Liverpool and Durham and not London, Peterborough, Glasgow or Belfast.

windsong

I think it was a huge mistake to close some of those overseas operations, especially in a country the size of the USA where there are so many dual citizens.

BritInParis

The problem was they have been cutting staff in the UK as well. You can't decrease the workforce and increase the workload and still expect normal service.

windsong

That's true - very bad planning, though.

It seems they closed the overseas offices and expected electronic applications and social media (to answer questions and inquiries) to reduce the workload of what is really a very manual process. (According to the woman at the ETD department in Houston, they have to go through tons of paperwork to renew passports.)

Very bad planning indeed. Seems they measured once and cut a thousand times instead of measuring twice and cutting once.

BritInParis

When overseas passport applications were processed in embassies it was a very labour-intensive process. Each stage of the application process was done by a different person and each passport was printed by hand which was one of the reasons why they cost so much more.

Moving it back to the UK was suppose to reap the benefits of economies of scale - this doesn't seem to have happened and if anything the process is more labour intensive now due to the loss of local knowledge and trying to force through a 'one size fits all' policy.

windsong

Yes. It's very clear.

Personally, I would rather pay double the OLD fee to get my passport back on time.

Giantaxe

Isn't it more a case that demand has increased drastically and no provision was made to cope with that demand in the UK offices that handle non-UK applications? Someone should ask the minister responsible just what number of applications in these offices are from overseas.