Mr. Niall Burgess:

I accept that Passport Express is the slow lane, but in its day, it provided an effective and rapid turnaround service. We anticipated the pressure that would be exerted on the Passport Office this year. From the outset of the year, we have engaged in an intensive communications campaign aimed, in particular, at getting the word out locally that, where possible, people should make their applications online. We have done approximately 35 local radio interviews and also worked heavily through local media.

Most Passport Express applications are processed on time within the 15-day target. Where applications made via Passport Express are first-time applications or for the replacement of a lost passport, a series of checks kick in, which delays processing. The frustration is being felt by families who have booked holidays where one child has not previously held a passport. The passports are bundled together, but owing to the making of a new application, we are working to a different timeframe. Where we know that someone is at risk of missing a deadline, we will pull the application and process it.