There have been delays in our processing of licence applications and it has been difficult to get through to our contact centre. We have been working hard to resolve these issues.

Progress has been made, but it has not been as rapid as we had hoped.

• Processing times: the time taken to process applications is dropping and the majority of recently received and correctly completed applications are now being processed within 6-8 weeks. However, we acknowledge that there is still much room for improvement.
• Returning documents: it is currently taking a few weeks rather than days to return documents but they are being returned as quickly as possible.
• Our contact centre: we have increased the number of contact / processing centre staff and we are employing more temporary staff to help out. We expect the situation to improve as the delays in licensing (the source of most calls) are reduced.
• 'Stuck' applications: various manual workarounds were introduced to identify and process the relatively small number of applications that had become caught up in the system. Most of these cases have now been freed and are completing their passage through the process. We will do everything we can to speed any further 'stuck' cases that come to light through to completion.

A number of online facilities have been introduced to make it easier for applicants to use our licensing service and to follow the progress of licence applications. Individual licence application forms can be requested online from our website, company users can bulk order application forms from a new online ordering process, the online Register of Licence Holders has been improved and made easier to use, and the online Company Licence Checker allows registered company users to regularly check the licence status of all their staff.

Again, we apologise for the poor service provided in recent months. Please bear with us as we work to make things right again.