Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

As the Deputy is aware, customers have been experiencing disruption to passport services as a result of ongoing industrial action in the public service. The industrial action has led to a backlog of over 50,000 passport applications in the system and the application turnaround time is currently 15 to 20 working days. As a result, the Department advises it is not possible to fast-track any application other than in a case of genuine family emergency, in which case proof will be required that travel is necessitated by the death, illness or welfare of a family member. The issuing of passports in such emergencies is not affected by the industrial dispute. Furthermore, the public counters and out-of-hours services should only be used by those who have a necessity to travel for reasons of family emergency.

In the circumstances,customers are advised to check the expiry dates of passports before making any overseas travel plans and to apply in sufficient time so the new passport can be received before the intended date of travel. In response to the industrial action, the Department has temporarily suspended the requirement that applicants submit their existing passport with their application for a new passport. Where the current passport has not yet fully expired, customers may include a photocopy of the personal details pages of the current passport with their application for a new passport.

Clearly the current circumstances, whereby so many of our citizens are experiencing intolerable delays, is not acceptable. However, they will not ease until normal work practices are resumed. The passport business is seasonal throughout the world and every service must rely on the recruitment of seasonal workers and overtime. Until the current restrictions in these areas are overcome, the passport service will continue to struggle with the timely provision of passports for Irish citizens.

Without the normal flexibility, which has characterised the passport service in the past, it is simply not possible to provide these functions. I am calling on the CPSU to resume normal working arrangements as soon as possible, particularly now that there was a conclusion to the public sector talks early this morning in Croke Park under the chairmanship of Mr. Kieran Mulvey.

Following this morning's agreement, there are clear grounds for ending the current industrial action. Should this occur, my Department will move immediately to eliminate the backlog of passport applications by facilitating overtime, redeploying staff to ease bottlenecks in the process and recruiting temporary staff. With the co-operation of staff, who, let us not forget, made the passport service the efficient, customer-friendly service it was before this dispute, we can soon again have a service to be proud of.

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