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

The first point I would make is there is a balance as well. We have to consistently tell people to remember to get their passports updated, to apply online and in time. We do everything we possibly can to facilitate urgent cases. Most people in the House would acknowledge that, and we will continue to do it.

However, we do not want to create a new scenario whereby people think they can get a passport within four days or one day and they do not have to bother applying online. There is a balance to be struck there. That said, we will still do everything we can to sort out urgent situations. In emergency situations, passports are sorted out, as the Deputy knows.

With regard to staffing, we have temporary staff in addition to full-time staff and we keep it under constant review. We have significantly increased staffing levels in the past two years in particular. We are confident we can meet the demand again this year, as we did last year. There was a post-Covid spike that we believe will even out and settle down in the next year or two.

See this speech in context