Jon Trickett A strong Yorkshire voice for Hemsworth constituency
Half a million people in the UK are anxiously waiting for their passports, not knowing whether they will be able to go on their holidays this summer.
A massive number of people, despite having sent their applications in good time for processing, are facing having their holidays ruined due to the current back log.
Many people save for months to pay for a holiday, if they are lucky enough to be able to do so, but there are now reports that an extra fee to ‘fast track passports’ is being imposed on holidaymakers.
My constituents have been deeply affected by the outrageous backlog in the Passport Office. Each and every person who has contacted me is reporting a three month wait or longer. It is turning into a passport lottery where people don’t know whether or not their passports will arrive on time.
The Government are denying the serious backlog, with Home Secretary Teresa May claiming that the Passport Office is meeting its target. However it has been said that job cuts and office closures have left the Passport Office unable to handle the level of demand.
Like many other Labour MP’s up and down the country, I have been left to pick up the pieces of the Governments failings within the Passport Office. Luckily, nobody in my constituency has missed out on their holiday – yet.
If the Passport office is meeting its target, like Teresa May says, then how is there a 3 month wait for my constituents to renew their passports?
This out of touch Government obviously doesn’t know what it is like to save for months on end to take your family away, only to be told your summer could be ruined.
To me, it would be an absolute tragedy if just one of my constituents missed their holiday as their passport was not returned on time. That is why I will continue to press the Government on the Passport Office’s current failings.