Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Tánaiste summed it up in his last few words: if one is dealing with the Passport Office in Dublin, one can get a passport on the day of the appointment, but if one is dealing with the office in Cork, one must wait three days to get a passport. In the interests of balanced regional development, I am seeking that a service be made available such that people would have access to the faster turnaround and be on an equal footing. It should not be all Dublin-based. We should explore the possibility of having services distributed throughout the country. Cork is the only Passport Office outside Dublin and it does not have a printing facility. The purchase of new machines is not necessary, although it is an option. Alternatively, the existing machines could be moved. There are several ways of dealing with this issue and I am not calling for one particular solution but, rather, that we ensure there is a faster turnaround in Cork. Has the passport reform programme looked at the possibility of having additional printing facilities in Cork?

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