Declan Breathnach (Louth, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The number of people living in Northern Ireland seeking Irish passports has increased by more than a third over the past year. This is according to figures I obtained from the Minister's office. The figures show almost 33,000 people in the North applied last year for an Irish passport, an increase on 2015 of 34.6%. In 2015, 25,000 people living north of the Border applied for Irish passports, which was an increase of more than 12% on 2014. Last year, more than 15,000 people born in Britain applied for Irish passports, an increase of 103% on 2015, which saw an increase of only 2% on the numbers applying in 2014. In January this year, applications from the UK were up 74% compared with January last year.

I ask the Minister to open a satellite passport office in the north east or in one of the other Border counties to cope with this demand. The increase in applications is due to fears over the consequences of Brexit and the pending UK departure from the EU.

While we all are hoping and will be fighting to retain free movement of people after the UK leaves, we just do not know if that will be the case. There is still huge uncertainty about what exactly the situation will be post Brexit. I have established without any doubt that there has been a significant increase in passport applications from Northern Ireland and Britain because of Brexit and I appeal to the Minister to open a satellite passport office for the convenience of those applicants and many others who are inconvenienced by having to come to Dublin. I have been advised already, by way of reply to a parliamentary question, that the vast majority of passport applications from both sides of the Border are made through the post office networks on this island. I have been advised that this remains the most efficient and cost-effective way to apply and applications can be submitted at some 70 post offices in Northern Ireland and at more than 1,000 post offices in the State.

However, I have been dealing with ever more cases in which problems have arisen with applications for one reason or another and where there is an urgent need for a passport to be issued. It is extremely inconvenient for these applicants to have to make an appointment to attend at the passport office in Dublin. I have been advised that the Minister feels that the online service for booking such appointments works well and that he is satisfied with the overall service currently in operation. However, the numbers say otherwise.

Applications from Northern Ireland and the UK will only continue to rise and it is imperative that the situation be reviewed and the necessary improvements be made to the service to accommodate this expected significant increase. We are no longer talking about a relatively small number of applicants. The largest number of Northern Ireland passport applications last year came from County Antrim, where more than 13,000 people applied. The numbers of applications from counties Derry, Down and Armagh were almost 6,000, over 5,000 and over 3,500, respectively, while almost 2,000 applications came from County Tyrone with a not dissimilar number from County Fermanagh.

I have been told that the passport reform programme, which is well under way, will deliver further significant customer service improvements in the coming years. I ask the Minister to make it a priority that a passport office be opened either in Dundalk or elsewhere in the Border region to make it convenient for those applicants from outside the jurisdiction to attend for appointments. As the Minister will be aware, one cannot beat face-to-face service to resolve issues. Considering that there is a lack of a decent broadband service in many Border regions, forcing applicants online to make appointments is not the way to go. The best way to ensure a full level of service is to open a passport office in the Border region.

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