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

I appreciate the Deputy's comments. A number of Deputies have commented on the helpfulness of the staff of the Department of Foreign Affairs and in the Passport Office, in particular. I take the Deputy's point that not everybody can go online but people should seek assistance to do so, where possible, because it is a very effective and much faster service. I will take away the Deputy's viewpoint. I will talk again to the team in the Passport Office about the situation in respect of paper-based applications. Some senior citizens may not be as competent in the use of online platforms but they should not be in any way disadvantaged by their use of a paper-based application.

I am not clear why any passport application should have been in the system since January. If the Deputy sends details, we can examine that and perhaps learn lessons from the situation.

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