Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is not all based in Dublin. If a person in Cork, Waterford or Kerry needs to travel in an emergency, he or she can get an emergency passport on the spot from the Passport Office in Cork. If a person wishes to go on travel for reasons other than an emergency, there is a turnaround time of three days for those who need a passport quickly. We have managed to achieve a situation whereby normal passport renewals completed online are returned within a week. We have put in place a very efficient system. I take the Deputy's point that sometimes people make a legitimate mistake by not checking their passport when due to go away and, as a result, need a fast turnaround time. Some people need to drive to Dublin to get a passport. It is not true to say that one cannot get a passport in Cork on the spot. One can do so if there is a genuine emergency. We are putting systems in place that are far more efficient than was previously the case. Turnaround times are far faster. That is the reform programme on which we have been focusing rather than trying to place printers in various parts of the country to try to service everybody locally, which would have a knock-on consequence in terms of efficiencies. I am not saying "No" forever regarding printing in Cork. The reform programme we have implemented in the past two years has focused on turnaround times for everybody.

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