Ms Barbara Jones:

Our interface at this moment is the telephone and this new modern service which is called WebChat where one can interface directly with the customer service agent, one of my colleagues in the passport service, and get detailed support on the application process. Of course, people who have difficulty accessing this very digital online framework can pick up the old-fashioned telephone and speak to a person and get support through the process.

One thing I want to emphasise regarding that category of people who have a vulnerability is that the people from the National Adult Literacy Agency who helped us to simplify all of our business processes have commended us on the ease of access, that is, the simple supportive way we go about delivering our service. That means, therefore, if somebody in the category that the Chairman rightly has concerns about were to have an urgent need for a passport or support as to travel, they can pick up the old-fashioned telephone, call one of our colleagues, get support, lodge with us and signal their need for a passport, for example, for God forbid, a death in a family, a need to travel to the UK for a funeral, or some such event, and we can then fast-track such an application.