It is now clear that tens of thousands of people across the country have been affected by the crisis in the passport office, with the effects of these delays causing widespread uncertainty.

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As thousands of families (including many in my own constituency) now face an anxious wait over whether they’ll miss their summer holidays, Home Secretary Theresa May refused to admit there was even a problem, let alone deal with it.

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That’s why I’m calling on the government to reimburse constituents who have had to pay an ‘upgrade’ fee to receive their passports in time for their trips despite applying in advance of the 3 week deadline because of delays and mismanagement in the passport office. I am now joining Labour colleagues and asking the Government to pay back these additional fees to those who have had to upgrade through no fault of their own in the past few weeks.

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The government’s own passport advice website still says “It should take 3 weeks to get the passport”, however I’m being contacted by constituents who say it is taking at least double that time. If you have any upcoming travel or other engagements that require a passport for identification purposes, you should check it is valid for the relevant date(s) and begin the renewal process as soon as possible if it’s not.

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As I mentioned, this issue has affected my own constituents and we have been contacted by over 20 families who we are now helping to resolve the problem.

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Phew ! Panic over Thanks to•@IanMurrayMPpic.twitter.com/FO6GDBljxW

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– David Kerr (@DFK007)•June 13, 2014

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If you are having difficulties of your own in terms of renewing your passport, please don’t hesistate to get in touch with my constituency office on 0131 662 4520 and we’ll do everything we can to help.