Minister's port of call
GOVERNMENT Home Office Minister Meg Hillier visited Stranraer on Tuesday on a couple of engagements at the request of Galloway MP Russell Brown.
First of all the pair visited the Dumfries and Galloway Council offices at Sun Street to have a look at the video link first time passport interview facility.
A few years ago the Government made it compulsory to have an interview with Identity and Passport Service (IPS) staff as part of the application for a first time passport.
However until last year, people from Wigtownshire had to travel to a passport office in Dumfries or Glasgow to be interviewed.
Then the Government set up a video link facility from Stranraer so that local people could be interviewed by staff potentially hundreds of miles away, and sparing them the need to travel far.
In the year since the service has been operational more than 130 people from Wigtownshire have had their passport interview at Sun Street.
The party then visited Stranraer Police Station where they were briefed by Chief Constable, Pat Shearer and Inspector Graham Edwards about the situation with regards to ports policing in Stranraer.
Meg Hillier said: "I was pleased to meet local police who are working at the port. They play a vital role in protecting the public.
"Their good work is about protecting citizens not just in Dumfries and Galloway, but right across the UK."
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Weather for Newton Stewart
Tuesday 22 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 8 C to 16 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 11 C to 16 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: South
