Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the total budget for the Passport Office (a) was in financial year 2021-22 and (b) is in financial year 2022-23.
Answered by Tom Pursglove
The annual budget of the Passport Office is published every year as part of Customer Services Capability within the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts.
For financial year 2021-22, refer to pages 128-129, published as part of the Statement of Outturn against Parliamentary Supply (SOPS), in the 2021-22 Home Office Annual Report and Accounts. See:
Home_Office_ARA_21-22_Final_-_Gov.uk.pdf (publishing.service.gov.uk)
With regards to the 2022-23 budget, you can find the information required in the published Main Supply Estimates. Refer to page 84 (page 87 on the PDF reader). See:
Central Government Supply Estimates 2022-23 – Main Supply Estimates (publishing.service.gov.uk)
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the yearly change was in numbers of staff working in the Passport Office from (a) 2015-16, (b) 2016-2017, (c) 2017-18, (d) 2018-2019, (e) 2019-2020, (f) 2020-21 and (g) 2021-22.
Answered by Tom Pursglove
The table below shows the data held for full-time equivalent staffing numbers at His Majesty’s Passport Office on 31 March, for each year from 2015:
2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
4,376 | 4,059 | 3,879 | 3,680 | 3,620 | 3,947 | 3,704 | 4,466 |
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many passports handled by the Passport Office have been lost in the post in each year since 2019.
Answered by Tom Pursglove
The data is not held in the requested format.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the implications of situations where HM Passport Office has lost supporting documents for first-time adult British passport applications, withdrawn these applications and asked the applicant to bear the costs of resubmitting a new application and applying for new supporting documents; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Tom Pursglove
While the loss of documents by HM Passport Office is rare, any losses are taken extremely seriously.
It is HM Passport Office's policy to reimburse any reasonable out of pocket expenses as a result of any error, which includes the replacement of lost documents. Where it has been determined that a passport application has been withdrawn in error, the customer will be invited to submit a replacement application at no further cost.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, the number of passports handled by the Passport Office lost in the post each year since 2019.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The data held for documents lost in the possession of our providers of secure delivery services does not distinguish between newly issued passports and documents whcih were sent in support of an application.
The table below shows the number of passports and supporting documents that have been confirmed as lost in the possession of a provider of secure delivery services in the UK for each year from 2019:
Year | Confirmed Losses | Volume of consignments | Percentage of confirmed losses |
2019 | 168 | 7,548,768 | 0.002% |
2020 | 111 | 3,634,320 | 0.003% |
2021 (01/01/2021 – 31/10/2021) * | 312 | 5,260,013 | 0.006% |
*Confirmed losses for the whole of 2021 will be available from September 2022.
The data held for deliveries overseas are not broken down between those items reported as ‘lost’, and those that declared as ‘stolen’.
The table below shows the number of passports and supporting documents that have been confirmed as lost in the possession of a provider of secure delivery services overseas for each year from 2019:
Year | Loss and Theft | Volume of consignments | Percentage of loss and theft |
2019 | 103 | 1,007,981 | 0.01% |
2020 | 85 | 1,198,954 | 0.007% |
2021 | 157 | 856,742 | 0.019% |
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many staff have been employed at HM Passport Office in each year since 2015.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The table below shows the total full-time equivalent staff of Her Majesty’s Passport Office as of 31 March, for the years 2010–2022
Year | Full-time equivalent |
2015 | 4,376 |
2016 | 4,059 |
2017 | 3,879 |
2018 | 3,680 |
2019 | 3,620 |
2020 | 3,947 |
2021 | 3,704 |
2022 | *5,043 |
*Figures show as of 30 June 2022
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what financial support her Department is providing for Ukrainian refugees arriving in the UK through family visas.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The Ukraine Family Scheme was set up to ensure family members were able to reunite with family fleeing Ukraine Ahead of the development of the Homes for Ukraine scheme It is based on family visa routes which existed before the Ukraine conflict, where public services are funded out of council budgets and the same principle is applied here. The UK-based family member is expected to provide support and accommodation for those coming to join them, who in turn benefit from the wider integration advantages in joining an existing family network.
Ukrainian nationals coming to the UK under the Ukraine Family Scheme are given access to work, benefits and public services as laid down in Appendix Ukraine to the Immigration Rules, details of which can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-appendix-ukraine-scheme
Homes for Ukraine on the other hand is a unique scheme which has been set up specifically to support those escaping the conflict in Ukraine who are not able to rely on UK based family support. The Government is providing additional funding to local authorities which includes resource to enable them to carry out sponsorship-specific functions such as safeguarding checks and property checks, administering payments, as well as providing support such as English language training to help their integration into communities.
We continue to keep the UK Government’s support under review and will adapt and develop the visa routes in place to ensure they keep pace with the situation in Ukraine.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of differential treatment on Ukrainian refugees arriving via the Homes for Ukraine scheme and those arriving through family visas.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The Ukraine Family Scheme was set up to ensure family members were able to reunite with family fleeing Ukraine Ahead of the development of the Homes for Ukraine scheme It is based on family visa routes which existed before the Ukraine conflict, where public services are funded out of council budgets and the same principle is applied here. The UK-based family member is expected to provide support and accommodation for those coming to join them, who in turn benefit from the wider integration advantages in joining an existing family network.
Ukrainian nationals coming to the UK under the Ukraine Family Scheme are given access to work, benefits and public services as laid down in Appendix Ukraine to the Immigration Rules, details of which can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-appendix-ukraine-scheme
Homes for Ukraine on the other hand is a unique scheme which has been set up specifically to support those escaping the conflict in Ukraine who are not able to rely on UK based family support. The Government is providing additional funding to local authorities which includes resource to enable them to carry out sponsorship-specific functions such as safeguarding checks and property checks, administering payments, as well as providing support such as English language training to help their integration into communities.
We continue to keep the UK Government’s support under review and will adapt and develop the visa routes in place to ensure they keep pace with the situation in Ukraine.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of providing seasonal visas to address staff shortages in UK airports.
Answered by Kevin Foster
We note similar issues with recruitment are being reported at Airports within the EU and the USA, which indicate this would be an ineffective approach compared to focusing on other issues affecting recruitment in the sector, such as the pay and conditions offered to key workers.
Several roles in the aviation sector are already eligible to be recruited via the Skilled Worker visa.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure same sex partners can register as the mothers of their child on birth certificates.
Answered by Kevin Foster
Civil registration in the UK is a devolved matter and there are separate systems in place for Scotland and Northern Ireland.
In England and Wales, a birth entry records the name of the child’s mother and, where certain conditions can be met as set out in law, the name of a second female parent.
There are currently no plans in England and Wales to change how a mother, father or parent is recorded in birth entries or on birth certificates.