PAC Report 
(October 1989)

Treasury Minute 
(January 1990)

C&AG's Report 
(April 1993)

The Home Office should investigate the impact of external factors on demand and the use of measures to encourage off peak applications.

The Home Office was carrying out market research and issued one million leaflets to encourage off season applications.

The Agency had investigated the factors influencing demand, and was developing two models to forecast it. However, both models' recent forecasts had tended to under-estimate the level of demand.

The Agency had taken some steps to smooth demand, but they had not yet carried out an evaluation.

The Home Office makes little effective use of manpower planning.

Manpower planning review was being carried out.

The Agency's manpower planning arrangements enabled the Agency to vary its staffing levels at short notice through overtime and employment of seasonal staff.

The Home Office should introduce work measurement to assist in the setting of cost and performance targets.

The Home Office intended to introduce work measurement at staff group level.

The Home Office had missed unit cost targets and performance against processing targets had been very poor at peak periods. For example, the processing time at the Glasgow office was 56 days.

The Home Office's financial provision had been increased and substantial increases in permanent staff would follow.

The Agency had met its processing target in 1991-92 and had been awarded a Charter Mark in 1992.

Computerisation project was incomplete and had not yet yielded the expected benefits. It had not proceeded smoothly, and staff had taken longer than had been expected to attune themselves to the new system.

Steps were being taken by the Department to follow up recommendations made by consultants.

The computerisation project had been completed and enhanced but did not appear so far to have enabled the Agency to bring down the unit cost of producing a passport.