Written evidence submitted by Veronica
German AM
BACKGROUND
1.1 The Welsh Liberal Democrats and I noted with
concern the announcement on 8 October that the Identity and Passport
Service was intending to close its office in Newport and have
opposed this decision from the outset.
1.2 I along with The Welsh Liberal Democrat group
in the National Assembly have tabled a Statement of Opinion to
encourage members of the National Assembly to express their opposition
to the proposed closure. The party has also formally expressed
its wish that "the proposal to close the Newport Passport
office to be reversed". (See Appendices one and two).[12]
1.3 I have written a letter to The Rt Hon Cheryl
Gillan MP, Secretary of State for Wales voicing my concern (Not
printed).
1.4 Likewise, Newport City Council is opposed
to the closure of the Newport Passport Office and the estimated
loss of 300 jobs.
ARGUMENTS
2.1 I acknowledge that there are many arguments
against the closure of the Newport Passport Office, but I have
highlighted below the ones that I feel are most significant.
2.2 Three hundred jobs will be lost in
Newport as a result of this decision. Compared to the location
of other Passport Offices, Newport is relatively a more deprived
area and the closure will have more of an impact on the local
economy than elsewhere. For example, Newport was recently rated
as the 28th most competitive city in the United Kingdom,
despite receiving a significant boost in the last year.[13]
I believe that therefore there will be a bigger impact on the
local economy by the closure of the Newport Office than reductions
in staffing numbers elsewhere. I fully support efforts to reduce
the deficit but believe that the cost of doing so should be borne
equitably by all parts of the UK.
2.3 There has been a drive over several decades
to decentralise many government departments outside of areas with
expensive land and labour costs. This has two benefits; firstly
in cutting costs and secondly in spreading the mechanisms of government
across many parts of the UK. I believe that the costs of owning
or renting in Newport are substantially lower than in other parts
of the country. In Newport grade A office space can cost as little
as £8.50-£15.50 a square foot. The average price for
office space in London's West End - IPS's London office - is around
£75 a square foot. With this in mind I feel that the city
must therefore be considered as a lower-cost alternative to other
areas of the country.
2.4 This decision will leave Wales as the only
nation in Europe without its own Passport Office. This will not
only disadvantage many millions of people from Wales, and the
south-west of England, who are able to use this office but will
suggest that the IPS is not willing to spread its work across
all of the United Kingdom.
2.5 I welcome the commitment to retain some kind
of customer centre in Newport, but I still feel that Wales needs
its own passport office in order to fully accommodate the requirements
of a bilingual population to comply with the Welsh Language Act
(1993). This states:
"Every public body […] shall prepare a
scheme specifying the measures which it proposes to take, for
the purpose […] of giving effect, so far as is both appropriate
in the circumstances and reasonably practicable, to the principle
that in the conduct of public business and the administration
of justice in Wales the English and Welsh languages should be
treated on a basis of equality."
It is essential to retain a passport office in Wales
for ease of access not just to people in Wales but also people
in the south west of England. Taking away this service in
Newport could be the difference between a three hour round journey
and a near ten hour round journey.
2.6 The staff performance has been excellent
showing a willingness to embrace change and trial new systems
when called upon. Newport was the regional office that always
volunteered to do any innovative pilot, including the fast track
system, which has now been rolled out across the United Kingdom.
CONCLUSION
3.1 In conclusion, I would like to re-iterate
my opposition to the closure of the Newport Passport Office on
the grounds that it does not meet important tests of economic
impact, financial savings or maintaining the UK-wide nature of
the IPS.
3.2 I understand the need for the best value
for money from our public services in difficult times but I believe
this must be done sensitively with the aim of providing an equitable
service across the UK.
8 November 2010
12 Not printed. Back
13
Robert Huggins and Piers Thompson, UK Competitiveness Index 2010,
(UWIC 2010). Back
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