Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

This morning, unfortunately, I was not selected to speak to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Coveney, about the Passport Office. I have to raise it today because I have received several telephone calls about the telephone lines not being answered, the live chat and the emergency number and whether it is 24 hours. I am dealing with a case and I feel very sorry for the man concerned. On Tuesday, his wife and daughter flew out for a holiday, but he could not fly out because of his daughter's passport. The Passport Office needed further information. My understanding is that it is being processed at Balbriggan at present. However, because the office requested further information, the application has gone right back down in the system. We cannot have a system that is failing, and that system is a failure. I welcome the fact that the Minister, Deputy Coveney, said this morning, as he always says, that the office has extra staff. I do not blame the staff. They are put to the pin of their collar. It is the system. It reminds me of a planning application. If somebody applies for planning and leaves something out, the application goes back down to the end again. In this case, all the details of the flight have been sent in. The office knows the child is flying out on a date, but all of a sudden the case is back to the end of the system. It is not acceptable.

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