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

There is no backlog at the moment; none. Phone calls are being dealt with very quickly; within two to three minutes. As I said earlier in my replies, the longest wait for a call to be returned last week was five minutes and 350,000 passports have been issued this year.

What can we do to help first-time applicants, including helping them to complete their applications correctly? A recent upgrade to the passport online platform provides first-time applicants with a bespoke list of the documents they need to submit, which is customised for the applicant's specific circumstances. As I said earlier, we also offer video guides to assist citizens in submitting their correct photos. The general registration office system is quite significant and you can now do the birth certificate with the Passport Office, avoiding the need for a physical birth certificate to be sent.

We are constantly trying to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of this. The issue will be that as applications come in, they go into a queue. The Deputy has raised this issue and I will talk again to the Passport Office officials because they are constantly looking at ways to make this better and more customised for the customer who is applying for the passport.

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