Families risk missing holidays abroad due to hundreds of passports getting lost
16.05.2022 - 15:57
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Families desperate for a trip abroad this summer are at risk of missing out on their hard-earned holidays after passports and key documents were lost by couriers. Recruitment issues and massive backlogs are causing chaos for those who were hoping to get away for the first time since travel restrictions have eased.
While Prime Minister Boris Johnson recently threatened to privatise the Passport Office, new data reveals that the privatised delivery services are the ones at the heart of the problem. Despite the number of passports being sent out decreasing between 2020 and 2021 when travel restrictions were implemented, the amount lost by delivery courier TNT, which has the exclusive contract, shot up, reported The Mirror.
According to a Freedom of Information request to the Passport Office, 6,681,299 passports were issued in 2018 with around 422 passports or “supporting documents” lost “during delivery by courier” or 0.006 per cent.
Similarly, in 2019, 6,707,500 passports were issued and 437 were lost. However, in 2020, when borders closed and travelling was mostly not allowed, the number of passports issued fell to 3,948,060 and yet 519 never arrived at their destination.
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Last year, with many coronavirus restrictions still in place, 4,823,620 passports were issued but a staggering 1,196 were lost during delivery by courier - and that only covers 2021 to July. While talks are ongoing to recruit more staff to ease delays and address the surge in passport applications, the government has been urged to address the issues caused by the privatised delivery services.
Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “The passport crisis is a