Hundreds of thousands of people impacted by passport... trends now

Hundreds of thousands of people impacted by passport... trends now
Hundreds of thousands of people impacted by passport... trends now

Hundreds of thousands of people impacted by passport... trends now

Hundreds of thousands of people impacted by passport delays this year - watchdog

The Passport Office must 'learn the lessons' from the chaos this year - and brace for similar levels of demand in 2023.

Hundreds of thousands of people were affected by delays in processing passport applications and many had travel plans disrupted as a result, Whitehall's spending watchdog has found.

HM Passport Office (HMPO) processed a 'record number' of applications amid 'unprecedented demand' as coronavirus pandemic travel restrictions were lifted but struggled to keep up with higher-than-average demand from customers, the National Audit Office (NAO) said.

In the first nine months of this year, 95% of customers received their passports within 10 weeks, but 360,000 people experienced longer waits.

The body urged the Home Office agency to learn lessons from the chaos and to 'prepare for similar levels of demand' expected in 2023, when up to 10 million applications could be made.

Despite planning ahead, problems with recruitment and 'limitations in its systems', as well as unsuccessful efforts to deal with the level of demand all 'contributed to longer than expected waits', according to findings published on Friday.

During the pandemic, significantly fewer people applied for and renewed passports and officials planned for an 'expected surge' in applications when travel restrictions were lifted.

Significantly fewer people applied for and renewed passports during the pandemic (Anthony Devlin/PA)

Significantly fewer people applied for and renewed passports during the pandemic (Anthony Devlin/PA)

The

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