Concern: Families face the threat of not being able to go on holiday as an overwhelmed Passport Office struggles to deal with a mounting backlog in applications . Families face the threat of not being able to go on holiday as an overwhelmed Passport Office struggles to issue travel documents in time. Up to 500,000 may not get their documents before their planned departure date as the under-staffed department struggles to deal with the annual surge in applications. Labour and Tory MPs have warned that the service is in turmoil and say they have had hundreds of complaints from constituents about delays. Making changes to passports or issuing new documents should be done within three to four weeks, but travellers are complaining it is taking twice as long. Some have been advised to pay up to £55.50 extra each to get passports fast-tracked, which should guarantee they arrive  on time. In a bid to manage the crisis, a quarter of staff employed to detect fraudulent paperwork have been transferred to help process the thousands of delayed applications. But Labour’s immigration spokesman David Hanson has warned that reducing the size of fraud teams is a ‘real worry to the integrity and security of the passport system’. Mr Hanson said Labour MPs had been inundated with more than 400 complaints in the past six weeks from constituents struggling to get passports in time for holidays and trips abroad. The Passport Office, part of the Home Office, has received around 300,000 more applications since January than in the same period last year and has blamed the surge on ‘the improving economy and a rise in holiday bookings’. But unions have said job cuts and office closures have left it unable to handle the level of demand as the summer holidays approach. In turmoil: Up to 500,000 may not get their documents on time as an under-staffed Passport Office struggles to deal with the annual surge in applications . A leaked email from Paul Pugh, head of the Passport Office, reveals that approximately 80 staff, including about a quarter working in fraud teams, are being redeployed in a ‘last push’ to clear the backlog. He acknowledged ‘work-in-progress levels which are much higher than we would like’ and said: ‘We have seen very high volumes of contact with Members of Parliament.’ Warning: David Hanson has warned that reducing the size of fraud teams is a 'real worry to the integrity and security of the passport system' Mr Hanson said he plans to raise the redeployment of anti-fraud staff with the Home Secretary. He said: ‘There are now serious concerns that Theresa May’s mismanagement of resources has left the passport service so stretched that anti-fraud measures will be temporarily understaffed. ‘This is absolutely unacceptable and is a real worry to the integrity and security of the passport system.’ Richard Harrington, Tory MP for Watford, has also put down a parliamentary question on delays after receiving six complaints in a week. In a statement, Mr Pugh said extra staff had been brought in to respond to the extra demand and they were operating seven days a week. He added: ‘We have processed more than 97 per cent of straightforward passport renewal and child applications within the three week target turnaround time. There is no backlog, with over 99 per cent of straightforward applications being processed within four weeks.’ The Home Office said the fraud team staff who had been redeployed were those working on long-term investigations rather than checking applications. In summer 1999, at least 500 holidaymakers missed their departure dates following problems at the then Passport Agency when a new computer system left it unable to issue passports on time.
Passport Office struggling to issue travel documents in time for holidays .
Labour and Tory MPs have warned that the service is currently in turmoil .
Rising chaos in passport system may be putting national security at risk .
Anti-fraud staff have been forced to tackle growing backlog of applications .
Concern: Families face the threat of not being able to go on holiday as an overwhelmed Passport Office struggles to deal with a mounting backlog in applications . Families face the threat of not being able to go on holiday as an overwhelmed Passport Office struggles to issue travel documents in time. Up to 500,000 may not get their documents before their planned departure date as the under-staffed department struggles to deal with the annual surge in applications. Labour and Tory MPs have warned that the service is in turmoil and say they have had hundreds of complaints from constituents about delays. Making changes to passports or issuing new documents should be done within three to four weeks, but travellers are complaining it is taking twice as long. Some have been advised to pay up to £55.50 extra each to get passports fast-tracked, which should guarantee they arrive  on time. In a bid to manage the crisis, a quarter of staff employed to detect fraudulent paperwork have been transferred to help process the thousands of delayed applications. But Labour’s immigration spokesman David Hanson has warned that reducing the size of fraud teams is a ‘real worry to the integrity and security of the passport system’. Mr Hanson said Labour MPs had been inundated with more than 400 complaints in the past six weeks from constituents struggling to get passports in time for holidays and trips abroad. The Passport Office, part of the Home Office, has received around 300,000 more applications since January than in the same period last year and has blamed the surge on ‘the improving economy and a rise in holiday bookings’. But unions have said job cuts and office closures have left it unable to handle the level of demand as the summer holidays approach. In turmoil: Up to 500,000 may not get their documents on time as an under-staffed Passport Office struggles to deal with the annual surge in applications . A leaked email from Paul Pugh, head of the Passport Office, reveals that approximately 80 staff, including about a quarter working in fraud teams, are being redeployed in a ‘last push’ to clear the backlog. He acknowledged ‘work-in-progress levels which are much higher than we would like’ and said: ‘We have seen very high volumes of contact with Members of Parliament.’ Warning: David Hanson has warned that reducing the size of fraud teams is a 'real worry to the integrity and security of the passport system' Mr Hanson said he plans to raise the redeployment of anti-fraud staff with the Home Secretary. He said: ‘There are now serious concerns that Theresa May’s mismanagement of resources has left the passport service so stretched that anti-fraud measures will be temporarily understaffed. ‘This is absolutely unacceptable and is a real worry to the integrity and security of the passport system.’ Richard Harrington, Tory MP for Watford, has also put down a parliamentary question on delays after receiving six complaints in a week. In a statement, Mr Pugh said extra staff had been brought in to respond to the extra demand and they were operating seven days a week. He added: ‘We have processed more than 97 per cent of straightforward passport renewal and child applications within the three week target turnaround time. There is no backlog, with over 99 per cent of straightforward applications being processed within four weeks.’ The Home Office said the fraud team staff who had been redeployed were those working on long-term investigations rather than checking applications. In summer 1999, at least 500 holidaymakers missed their departure dates following problems at the then Passport Agency when a new computer system left it unable to issue passports on time.
Passport Office struggles to issue travel documents in time. Up to 500,000 may not get Labour and Tory MPs have warned that the service integrity and security of the passport system’. time for holidays and trips abroad. The Passport