Written question asked by Bill Wiggin (Conservative) on Friday, 29 October 2004, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 16 November 2004. It was answered by Lord Browne of Ladyton (Labour) on Tuesday, 16 November 2004 on behalf of the Home Office.

Home Office

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make a statement on the current time taken for British passport holders to pass through passport control at Heathrow Terminal One.

Answer: Mr. Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the current time taken for British passport holders to pass through passport control at Heathrow Terminal One. [195534] Mr. Browne: The UK Immigration Service is committed to clearing bona fide passengers with minimal delay while ensuring immigration controls remain robust. It has set standards for passenger processing times, which comply with international standards, although there is no specific measurement of the time take to clear British passport holders of Heathrow Terminal 1. These standards are embedded in the UK Immigration Service's annual business objectives, and are kept under regular review. The UK Immigration Service's performance is also measured independently by the British Airports Authority, which includes queuing times. The Immigration Service including Terminal 1 continues to score well against this measure and performance is at a comparable level compared to 12 months ago.

Secondary information