The Home Office is to take control of the UK Passport Office following a summer which saw thousands of holidaymakers thwarted by passport delays.
The backlog in passport applications peaked at 537,663 in late June.
The changes mean the Passport Office’s chief executive Paul Pugh will be replaced, the BBC reported.
He will remain until a successor – working as director general – is named.
Home secretary Theresa May, who announced the change, had been forced to introduce a number of emergency measures to tackle the backlog, which now sits at around 80,000.
She said: “As the events of the summer showed, it is essential that HMPO is run as efficiently as possible and is as accountable as possible.”
The move to the Home Office will take effect from next week (October 1).