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1490577

registered interest
date	19/07/2022
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Passports: Applications
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to (a) ensure that all passport application systems align, (b) enable a faster roll out of Digital Application Processing to (i) help support the clearing of the passport application backlog and (ii) ease the transition from the Application Management System; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Pavilion
tabling member printed	Caroline Lucas
uin	39796
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/07/2022 answer text <p>We have already transitioned 75-85% of applications to the new digital application processing service. We will continue to transition the remaining applications gradually as new capability is developed and business changes can be implemented.</p><p>The ability to work across two stable systems has enabled us to process record numbers of applications during this period of exceptionally high demand.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 27/07/2022 11:42:52 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
tabling member	3930 label Biography information for Caroline Lucas

1490578

registered interest
date	19/07/2022
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	HM Passport Office: Staff
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) permanent, (b) full-time equivalent, (c) agency and (d) other status staff were working in HM Passport Office in each year since 2016.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Pavilion
tabling member printed	Caroline Lucas
uin	39797
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/08/2022 answer text <p>Staffing numbers at Her Majesty’s Passport Office has increased by over 1200 since April 2021. Its recruitment will continue to cover any attrition, to ensure the passport service remains fully resourced.</p><p>We are committed to ensuring public services are run as efficiently and effectively as possible. Given the elevated demand will not continue indefinitely and is directly linked to the estimated 5m passports not renewed during the pandemic period, it is appropriate to have flexible resources available. Therefore, while there has been recruitment of civil servants, the use of agency workers is appropriate in this context.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 11/08/2022 15:27:57 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
tabling member	3930 label Biography information for Caroline Lucas

1490579

registered interest
date	19/07/2022
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	HM Passport Office: Teleperformance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what monitoring her Department is undertaking in respect of the contract with Teleperformance to handle HM Passport Office enquiries; what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the delivery of the terms of that contract; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Pavilion
tabling member printed	Caroline Lucas
uin	39798
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/07/2022 answer text <p>The service provided by Teleperformance is monitored daily to a pre-defined Service Level Agreement.</p><p> </p><p>In light of Teleperformance’s delivery not meeting the required standard earlier this year, they have been responding to a formal rectification plan. The service has significantly improved in response.</p><p> </p><p>Weekly meetings have been held between Her Majesty’s Passport Office and Teleperformance’s CEO, where technical innovation to support the rectification has been discussed and subsequently implemented.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 27/07/2022 11:41:31 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
tabling member	3930 label Biography information for Caroline Lucas

1490580

registered interest
date	19/07/2022
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Passports: Fees and Charges
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to waive the fee for an upgrade of a passport application in the event that the original application has not been processed within the published service standard processing time; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Pavilion
tabling member printed	Caroline Lucas
uin	39799
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/09/2022 answer text <p>Upgrades to urgent services are only required where an applicant needs a passport sooner than ten weeks.</p><p>For the small percentage of customers whose applications take longer than ten weeks, there is an expedited service at no additional cost to help ensure they receive their passport ahead of any planned travel.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 05/09/2022 08:50:13 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
tabling member	3930 label Biography information for Caroline Lucas

1487277

registered interest
date	07/07/2022
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Members: Correspondence
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what percentage of correspondence from hon. Members received by her Department's MP Account Manager in the last three months (a) received a reply within 20 days and (b) has not received a reply; if she will put in place a new mechanism for hon Members to escalate cases where there is a delay in responding beyond the 20 working day target; what estimate she has made of the level and extent of delay in responding to hon. Members on cases relating to (i) Ukraine, (ii) Afghanistan and (iii) other countries.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Pavilion
tabling member printed	Caroline Lucas
uin	32508
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/07/2022 answer text <p>The Department works to a target of responding to 95% of Hon. Members written correspondence within 20 working days.</p><p>Performance against target has been impacted by a significant increase in the volume of correspondence received, including the unprecedented amount of correspondence about the situation in Afghanistan and more recently in Ukraine.</p><p>The Department continues to prioritise enquiries related to Ukraine and recognises it has not been able to meet service standard in other cases. Actions are being taken to clear backlogs and drive-up performance.</p><p>Members can escalate urgent and compassionate cases via regular engagement surgeries with the MP Engagement team.</p><p>The Department continues to recruit additional resources and has recently been loaned staff from non-operational areas to assist in clearing the backlogs. A detailed recovery plan to support a return to an acceptable service standard is being prepared.</p><p>Data about intake and performance in answering Hon. Members correspondence are published quarterly with the latest Quarter available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/customer-service-operations-data-q1-2022" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/customer-service-operations-data-q1-2022</a></p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 19/07/2022 10:37:35 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
tabling member	3930 label Biography information for Caroline Lucas

1484803

registered interest
date	29/06/2022
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Refugees: Afghanistan
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to Answer of 22 June to Question 13691 on Refugees: Afghanistan and with reference to the oral statement of the Minister for Afghan Resettlement of 6 January 2022, for what reason referrals via pathway two of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme did not begin in spring 2022 did not happen; what factors are preventing referrals via that route as of 29 June 2022; whether she has a target date to begin taking referrals via pathway two; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Pavilion
tabling member printed	Caroline Lucas
uin	27571
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/07/2022 answer text <p>The Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) will see up to 20,000 people from Afghanistan and the region resettled to the UK over the coming years.</p><p>On 13 June 2022, the Government announced the launch of the second and third pathways of the ACRS. I am pleased to be able to confirm the UK has received its first referrals from the UNHCR under pathway two.</p><p>The ACRS is a bespoke scheme, which responds to a challenging and complex situation. The pace of actual arrivals in any particular period will depend on a range of factors including the flow of referrals from UNHCR and the availability of suitable accommodation and support in the UK.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 12/07/2022 09:41:32 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster previous answer version 11626 answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
tabling member	3930 label Biography information for Caroline Lucas

1484347

registered interest
date	28/06/2022
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Refugees: Afghanistan
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department used to determine the cap of 1,500 places available in the first year under Pathway 3 of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme; if she will expand that number in the event that expressions of interest from people eligible for that pathway exceeds it following the deadline for expressions of interest on 15 August 2022; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Pavilion
tabling member printed	Caroline Lucas
uin	26733
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/07/2022 answer text <p>The Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) will provide up to 20,000 women, children and others at risk with a safe and legal route to resettle in the UK.</p><p> </p><p>Under pathway three of the ACRS, in the first year, the government will consider only eligible at-risk British Council and Gardaworld contractors and Chevening alumni for resettlement. The capacity of the UK to resettle people is not unlimited and difficult decisions have to be made on who will be prioritised for resettlement.</p><p> </p><p>The Foreign, Commonwealth &amp; Development Office (FCDO) will consider Expressions of Interest (EoI) in the order that they are received. These will be prioritised depending on:</p><p>- The role performed (for GardaWorld contractors); or</p><p>- The role performed and the project worked on (for British Council contractors); or</p><p>- Exceptionally compelling circumstances.</p><p> </p><p>Further information on Expressions of Interest can be found at:</p><p><a href="https://forms.digital.fcdo.gov.uk/afghanistan-20220620/afghan-citizens-resettlement-scheme-acrs-pathway-3" target="_blank">https://forms.digital.fcdo.gov.uk/afghanistan-20220620/afghan-citizens-resettlement-scheme-acrs-pathway-3</a></p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 12/07/2022 09:42:33 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
tabling member	3930 label Biography information for Caroline Lucas

1473156

registered interest
date	24/06/2022
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	TLScontact: Contracts
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 16 June 2022 to Question 14463 on Visas: Ukraine, if she will make an assessment of whether TLS has met the terms of the service level agreement (SLA) in the last 12 months; whether cases raised by hon. Members on (a) errors and (b) delays are recorded as breaches of the SLA; whether her Department has taken recent steps to help tackle delays in the processing of applications at TLS; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Pavilion
tabling member printed	Caroline Lucas
uin	24575
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/07/2022 answer text <p>This year, TLS’ overall performance of the Service Level Agreement (SLA) is good, with the year average for the key Critical Service Levels (CSLs), appointment availability, turnaround times and biometric capture, all within SLA.</p><p>We hold Monthly Performance Calls with TLS to assess their performance in line with SLA within the contract. This will include any errors and delays that are highlighted during the monthly reporting cycle. When we are advised of any errors and delays, these are substantiated and recorded against the contractual SLAs.</p><p>If TLS are found to be in breach of the SLA, a financial service credit will apply and remedial action taken. As noted, TLS are currently meeting the key CSLs which may impact on delays, and we continue to work with them to ensure there are sufficient appointments and services available to customers</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 04/07/2022 14:38:05 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
tabling member	3930 label Biography information for Caroline Lucas

1468908

registered interest
date	09/06/2022
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Immigration
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to allow Home Office officials discretion in immigration cases to re-define memorial services as memorial services in lieu of a funeral in cases where it can be shown that a death took place at a time when covid-19 restrictions prevented one of the (a) holding of and (b) travel to a funeral for a deceased immediate family member abroad and for such cases to be considered as having the status of a funeral for the purpose of the decision on whether a case should be fairly expedited; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Pavilion
tabling member printed	Caroline Lucas
uin	15224
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/06/2022 answer text <p>Those who qualify to visit the UK may undertake a range of activities, which include attending a funeral or a memorial service.</p><p> </p><p>We continue to prioritise any urgent compelling or compassionate cases across all workstreams.</p><p> </p><p>Where there are extremely compassionate or compelling circumstances (for example, a medical emergency or travelling to a funeral for a deceased immediate family member including memorial services), we may consider expediting specific cases. However, the bar for this is high and will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.</p><p> </p><p>UKVI encourages all customers to apply in good time ahead of intended travel dates, and customers can also make use of UKVI’s optional priority visa services for visit visas in certain locations.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 16/06/2022 15:21:18 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
tabling member	3930 label Biography information for Caroline Lucas

1468513

registered interest
date	08/06/2022
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Visas: Ukraine
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 18 May 2022 to Question 1156 on Visas: Ukraine, in how many cases did Visa Application Centres (VAC) operated by TLS Contact which were serving Ukrainian refugees breach the (a) advice to provide appointments within 48 hours and (b) expectation to notify refugees within 24 hours of TLS receiving the vignette at the VAC as of 8 June 2022; with reference to the correspondence of 8 June 2022 from the hon. Member for Brighton Pavilion to the Minister for Safe and Legal Migration, what systems she has in place to (i) monitor and (ii) address (A) errors and (B) delays with services her Department has outsourced to TLS; whether she is taking steps to expedite cases raised by MPs on these (1) errors and (2) delays; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Pavilion
tabling member printed	Caroline Lucas
uin	14463
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/06/2022 answer text <p>For part (a), we currently do not hold this data in a reportable format and would require development time with associated costs to extract this information, so this exceeds the cost threshold. For part (b), this is a contractual requirement and TLS report they have met in all cases the requirement of contacting customers via email within 24 hours of receiving the vignette at the VAC.</p><p>Regarding systems to monitor and address errors and delays, for part (a), our usual standard Service Level Agreement (SLA) within the contract is to provide appointments within 5 working days (or the next cycle for temporary locations that run less frequently). For Ukraine appointments, we reduced this SLA to 48 hours and monitored daily appointments being taken and capacity remaining, but as noted above we cannot provide this in a reportable format without exceeding the cost threshold. For part (b), we monitor this against the relevant contractual SLA and would address any breaches in line with this, but as noted above we cannot provide this information without exceeding the cost threshold.</p><p>To support with expediting cases raised by MPs on errors and delays, UKVI has also set up key escalation points including dedicated email inboxes for submitting requests and getting them reviewed and resolved by TLS. All individual cases raised are tracked to completion. There is also the telephone helpline in place for customers to request information.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 16/06/2022 16:06:50 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
tabling member	3930 label Biography information for Caroline Lucas