1 From early 1999, the United Kingdom Passport Agency (the Agency) encountered increasing difficulties in meeting demand for passports. News of the problems in the media during the Spring led to a surge of applications in May and June. At their peak, maximum processing times in the Agency's regional offices ranged between 25 and 50 days, compared to the Agency's target of 10 working days. By June 1999, around 565,000 applications were awaiting processing, amounting to a backlog of over a month's work, compared to a maximum of nearly 300,000 the previous year. The Agency's difficulties caused much anxiety for members of the public hoping to travel during the Summer. Public concern escalated until July 1999, when emergency measures – including free two-year extension stop passports–and a downturn applications helped ease the pressure. Processing times were brought back within the 10 day target by the end of August. This report examines the causes of the problems experienced by the Agency; the Agency's response; and identifies lessons for the future.