Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Both Deputies Richmond and Carroll MacNeill have outlined very well the reasons we need to get back to full service. Nobody wants to do that more than the staff of the passport service in a safe way as soon as public health guidelines allow.

It is helpful to put on the record that the volume of applications received in the past year has been significantly impacted by the pandemic. As a result, the number of applications currently in our system awaiting processing is quite low in terms of a normal year. That is not to in any way underestimate or play down the concerns that have been raised and well articulated here. They are very valid concerns. People are concerned about getting their passports for a variety of reasons, not just for travelling, as outlined by Deputy Richmond.

Currently, there are just over 92,000 applications in the system, most of which have been received in the past three months. While this might seem like a large number, in the context of the passport service, it is quite small. In the same period in 2019, approximately 420,000 applications were received, and in 2020 approximately 260,000 applications were received. Two thirds of applications are for renewals of passports. That is important because once services are resumed fully, these can be processed quite quickly because of the technological advancements in the passport service over the past four years. First time applications take longer due to the volume of associated documentation and the stringent verification process that must be carried out to ensure that we maintain the integrity of the Irish passport.

It is important to bear in mind that the Irish passport is considered to be one of the most valued in the world due to its visa-free status in 186 countries. Approximately one third of the applications in our system are for first time applicants.

The fact that the Irish passport is such a prized document was at the heart of the points made by Deputies Carroll MacNeill and Richmond. We take that on board. We want to get back to full processing as quickly as the public health guidelines allow. That is our determination. I commend the staff in the passport service for working under the difficult circumstances of the pandemic over the last year.

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