The Home Office's Passport Service has trumpeted its
99.9% performance record for processing passports on time but later
conceded that it has hit major problems with a new online service,
and is asking people to revert to paper for making passport
applications.
Delays in issuing passports, arising from problems with EPA2, a
new electronic passport application service, were confirmed by the
Home Office only after Computer Weekly presented officials with
detailed information on the difficulties.
Initially, when asked about its performance on issuing
passports, the Passport Service told Computer Weekly that its
target for processing 99.5% of applications within 10 days was
"actually currently being exceeded" at 99.9%.
But it failed to mention until pressed that the online service
had problems, that staff had reverted to using EPA1 - the system
EPA2 was supposed to replace - or that some applicants were in
danger of having to cancel holidays.
Later it issued a statement which conceded there was an "issue"
with the online service, which had been introduced only weeks ahead
of the peak demand period for passports.
A second trial phase of EPA2 was introduced on 16 May at the
Passport Service's Newport office.
The statement said, "During the first three weeks of pilot
operation some problems contained within the EPA2 system meant that
a number of customers who applied through this route have had to
wait longer than usual for their passports."
Of the 18,000 applications received via EPA2, 13,000 have been
processed and passports issued, but 5,000 remain unprocessed. The
Passport Service expects to clear 500 per day.
Bernard Herdan, executive director of service delivery for the
Passport Service, said, "I strongly regret the inconvenience these
complications have caused our customers." He added that
compensation might be offered where standards fell short.
Built by Siemens Business Services, EPA2 was introduced only
after an eight-month test programme. The Passport Service declined
to say what had gone wrong.
Officials said they had asked some customers hit by delays with
their online applications to "submit a paper form instead to speed
up their application".