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

The time between a person making an application and getting a passport into their hand is a real concern for a great many parents who have come to my office. They are planning a holiday or travelling for work or otherwise, and having made the application several months ahead, they expect to have the passport. While I acknowledge the situation after the application starts to get processed, the upfront time, before it is checked, is where there is a big issue, and it can take several weeks - anything up to five weeks - before an application is checked. At that stage, if there is anything wrong, and the Minister's figures indicate up to 40% of applications are in that position, they get thrown back, with several other weeks added on before even getting to the starting line. In the past, it was possible to meet at the Passport Office to have the passport checked with the appointments facility. When will that facility be open again to people and will it be open at both the Cork and the Dublin offices?

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