The situation prior to the implementation of the new computer system
The agency employed around 1800 staff in passport offices at Belfast,
Glasgow, Liverpool, London, Newport and Peterborough. London also housed the headquarters. The agency’s main aim was to provide passport services for British nationals in the United Kingdom promptly and economically. Included in its targets were:
■ to maintain a maximum processing time of 10 working days throughout the year for straightforward, properly completed applications ■ to meet customers’ declared travel dates for at least 99.99 per cent of passports issued
■ to recover the full cost of the passport service.
Since its creation in 1991 the agency had dealt with a steady increase in the number of passport applications. In the last year before the computer system was introduced the figure was around 4.9 million, a slight fall from the previous year’s 5.1 million. The agency’s annual forecasts of demand were reasonably accurate. The forecast for the first year of the computer system estimated demand at 5.1 million. However, shorter-term forecasts of monthly demand were not so accurate. For example, monthly variances of actual demand against that forecast averaged nearly 30 000 applications during a sample period.
There was always a backlog of applications, which rose during the busy period. The backlog varied from its lowest point of around 80 000 applications in December to its highest peak of nearly 300 000 in June.
Capacity was increased by overtime working and recruiting casual staff.
The maximum processing times had steadily increased, and in the last two years the agency’s target of 10 days had been breached. In July the maximum processing time reached a record high of 18 days.
The most recent annual figures showed that full costs were £93.6 million and income was £89.6 million, leading to a shortfall of £4 million.
Since 1991, the unit cost of