Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. We are in the busy season for passports, as citizens prepare for their upcoming summer travel plans. The passport service is successfully responding to the high demand, and has already issued 350,000 passports to date this year. All turnaround times are at their target level and there are no backlogs.

The customer service hub is responding to over 3,000 queries per day, the turnaround times outlined on my Department's website apply to fully complete and correct applications, and they are estimates based on current average processing times. Applications that are incomplete or incorrect will take longer. In cases where insufficient or incorrect supporting documents are received by the passport service, every effort is made to let the applicant know as soon as possible. Applications enter a queue and are checked in order of date received. It is not possible at present for the passport service to address issues with applications earlier in the process due to the volume of applications that are being received. The passport service has a system in place to ensure that when an application is incomplete and further supporting documents are required and requested, these applications are prioritised once the supporting documents have been received from the applicant.

The passport service continually works to enhance the service and provide further efficiencies for customers. The recent upgrade to the passport online platform provides significant improvements for first-time online applicants in particular. The new custom cover sheet, along with the general register office integration, reduces the administrative burden for these applicants. In addition, the eircode look-up tool minimises the potential for address-related errors on all types of online applications. The passport service will continue to consider ways in which to enhance this essential service for citizens.

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