I raise the ongoing chaos at the Passport Service again because nothing has improved since the most recent time I raised the issue. It seems that documentation is still not being checked until the passport target date, which means that people who applied in plenty of time must go to the end of the queue when further information is requested. We are now in the peak summer season. We are now moving towards the end of June. Families are having to cancel holidays at the eleventh hour. Members of some families are not able to travel with the rest of the family because their passports did not arrive on time. It seems that none of the improvements we were told would be implemented have been. People are at their wits' end and stressed to the hilt waiting for the Passport Service. When they ring, they get no response. They are trying to chase their applications but are getting no response. This should have been foreseen. What urgent action is the Government going to take to rectify the situation?

There is no question but that there have been issues in the Passport Service. I have experienced that myself through contacts I have received from my own constituents. There have been improvements in recent weeks, as I think the Deputy will recognise. One of the particular issues relates to first-time passport applications where errors may have been made and not picked up soon enough. Families are only receiving the news that there are errors weeks afterwards. The Deputy has raised a very valid point. To be fair to the Minister, Deputy Coveney, I know the service's resources have been increased. Approximately 5,000 passports are being issued per week, which is a significant level. However, this is a time when people want to get away on holidays if they can. We need to make sure the Passport Service can respond to the increase in applications. That is what we intend to do. In fairness, on the issue of first-time passports for children, I recognise that people are still having issues. We are determined to get to grips with the issue.