Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Minister has spoken about "allowing existing resources to be more effectively deployed within the Passport Service", just as he did when this issue came up in March. The problems within the Passport Office's communications system need to be looked at as part of any review. People are frustrated because information is key. They want to know what can be done to get information. That is why they are contacting politicians. I agree that this is not the right way to get a passport. We need to get as much accurate information as possible to people who are desperately seeking information about the possibility of getting their passports in time to go on the holidays for which they have been saving all year. Individual cases are very fine, but we need to focus on the system that comprises those cases. We have heard about families in which everyone other than one child has got a passport. That creates difficulties in systems. I wish the Minister well but the communication system needs to be beefed up.

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