Ms Siobh?n Byrne:

It is impossible to submit an application form without a photograph. This person may have submitted a photograph but there may have been an issue with the photograph. As we mentioned, we validate the photographs on the way in but there are limits to what a system can do. There are questions asked of the citizen when he or she is applying, such as whether the applicant has a neutral expression on his or her face, and if it is a plain background. These are limitations we know exist within the photograph system but it always requires human adjudication. There will never be a system to replace a human in assessing a photograph.