Treasury minister gives update in Tynwald
It's hoped residents will be able to apply for a passport online but government has ruled out setting a date that's likely to happen.
In the 12 months to April, the passport office saw a 41 per cent increase in applications in comparison to the 2017/18 figure, at more than 12,000.
Treasury says civil servants are carrying out additional hours to attempt to clear the backlog and average processing times are now at 20 days.
The UK already has provision for online applications though and they're cheaper too.
Dr Alex Allinson denies Manx residents are being handed a raw deal:
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