I think the key word is their response is
valid applications. It can take them weeks until an application is validated (I suspected mainly due to backlog/understaffed).
Also, it nice that they have targets, but if (according to their own admission. See below the response to this
FOI), they can’t easily retrieve data related to the CoA, then there is no easy way for them to check they actually meet the target.
We are only able to report on data that is captured in certain mandatory fields on the UK Border Agency’s Case Information Database (CID). Additional data relating to specific details of a case are only recorded in the case notes sections within the database or held solely on the case file. This is the case with regard to issuing the COA.