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Select Committee · Public Accounts Committee

Investigation into the UK Passport Office

Status: Closed Opened: 8 Nov 2022 Closed: 27 Jun 2023 9 recommendations 20 conclusions 1 report

The number of passport applications increased significantly in 2022 after the lifting of COVID-19 international travel restrictions and a lengthy backlog of passport applications has developed, causing delays. The Committee will question senior officials at the Home Office on trends in passport applications in the past and since the COVID-19 travel restrictions were lifted. Following …

Clear

Reports

1 report
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Forty-Seventh Report - Investigation into the UK Passport O… HC 738 6 Apr 2023 29 Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

1 item
2 Recommendation Forty-Seventh Report - Investigation in… Rejected

The Department has demonstrated a worrying lack of curiosity about the human impact of HMPO’s...

The Department has demonstrated a worrying lack of curiosity about the human impact of HMPO’s poor service or who its customers were. HMPO is unable to say how many people were forced to cancel their travel plans because of their passports being delayed, and has not done any work to …

Government response. The government disagrees with the recommendation, asserting that excellent customer service has always been at the forefront of HM Passport Office’s policy-making and processes, and that they regularly gather feedback and monitor complaints.
HM Treasury

Oral evidence sessions

1 session
Date Witnesses
19 Dec 2022 Matthew Rycroft CBE · Home Office, Thomas Greig · HM Passport Office, Tricia Hayes CB · Home Office View ↗

Correspondence

1 letter
DateDirectionTitle
23 Jan 2023 — Correspondence from Sir Matthew Rycroft, Permanent Secretary, Home Office, re u…