Passengers check-in in terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport
(Picture: PA)Summer holidays are at risk for millions of people due to “shambolic” delays in processing passports, MPs have warned.
Travellers have been urged to send applications for new passports in “as soon as possible” amid a huge surge in demand following the lifting of Covid restrictions.
Under post-Brexit travel rules, Britons must have three months remaining on their passport to travel to the bloc and they should not be more than 10 years old on the day you enter the EU.
MPs on Monday urged ministers to fix the “absolute shambles” in the Passport Office, which has been accused of repeatedly failing to hit its 10-week target for processing applications.
Simon Hoare, Conservative MP for North Dorset, accused officials of not telling customers the truth about when passports would be processed.
He told the House of Commons that constituents had told him that their experience had been “either really very good or an absolute shambles”, with some forced to cancel holidays and miss funerals as a result of delays.
“Something needs to be done to arrest this and quickly,” he said.
The SNP’s home affairs spokesman Stuart McDonald said: “All our constituents are having to cancel holidays, miss funerals, rearrange visits, with even a new 10-week target routinely being failed.
“What will be done to avoid this predictable mess getting worse? And can we be assured that the 10-week target will not be lengthened further as we approach the summer.”
Responding, home office minister Kevin Foster told MPs that the government was grappling with a “surge in demand” and that officials would not let the 10-week processing target slide further. He said officials were processing “about 60,000” passports a week at the beginning of the year and had trebled this figure by March.
Stephanie Peacock, the Labour MP for Barnsley East, said one mother had submitted her daughter’s passport application in January – but had still not received it ahead of their family holiday next week.
Ms Peacock told MPs: “What is the minister doing to address the unacceptable delays in passport applications?”
Home secretary Priti Patel branded the case “very, very unusual” and said it would be looked into.
Airlines have spoken of difficulties in recruiting new staff, with the Cabinet Office promising to “expedite” vetting of those applying for the roles.
Heathrow’s chief executive John Holland-Kaye said the delay in processing applications was “really disappointing”.
Mr Holland-Kaye said: “Normally the Passport Office is very slick in processing passports. It's really disappointing to hear (about delays).
“If it's not resolved, it is going to mean that people can't get away.
“After two years of lockdown, we need to make sure people can have a good holiday because many of them have vouchers that they've been saving up, they've got trips of a lifetime that they've put on hold, and we don't know when things might get closed down again.”
