18.5 Passport issuing at home and abroad is treated as one service which is required to fully recover its costs from fee income. In its six years as an executive agency, UKPA has reduced its unit cost by 29.5 per cent in real terms compared with an aggregate target of 18.1 per cent for this period. The Agency is well on course to achieve this target. As a result the Agency missed the 10 day turnround target during this period with the maximum processing time for straightforward applications slipping to 17 days. However despite exceptional pressures on staff, particularly on the public counters, the individual travel needs of customers were met.
Customer satisfaction remains very high.
The 10 day target was met from the beginning of November. The Agency monitors its payment performance. It is achieving its target of paying 95 per cent of its suppliers within 30 days. From April 1996, the Agency took over responsibility for its pay and grading and management structures. A review of working practices led to a recommendation for increased devolution of decision-making to examining staff.