Home Secretary Theresa May has apologised for delays in passport applications and offered free ‘fast-track’ for imminent holidays.
"I would like to say to anybody who is unable to travel because of a delay in processing their passport application that I am sorry and the government is sorry for the inconvenience they have suffered and we are doing all we can to put things right," she told MPs in a Commons debate on the delays yesterday.
The government has promised to "fast-track" delayed applications free of charge for those in urgent need because of imminent travel plans.
Mrs May said: "To qualify, they must have booked to travel in the next seven days, and they will need to provide proof of their travel plans.
"The upgrade will be available until further notice, and I can tell the House that since its introduction, 800 customers have used it to ensure that they receive their passports."
Mrs May said the passport office was dealing with the highest demand for passports for 12 years, adding that the annual surge in demand in summer had started much earlier than usual.
Passport Office chief executive Paul Pugh says 90% of applications are being processed within the three week limit, which means 34,635 people could be facing delays.
