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

We keep the whole service under constant review. The passport service is in third place in the Henley global passport index as it provides our citizens with visa-free access to 193 countries. We are up there as one of the best passport services in the world. We ran a multimedia campaign again this year reminding citizens to apply for their passports on time and online. The successful campaign focused on the benefits of applying online and encouraged citizens to check their passports in advance of booking foreign travel in 2024.

I turn to the issue of photographs, dates and the use of An Garda. Fundamental to that rating is the integrity of the Irish passport. That cannot be taken lightly. It has to be taken seriously because we have a strong international reputation. The witnessing of passport forms is a vital element of the identity verification process. We have taken moves in the past to remove areas that could be a block. Civil registration of births and so on became seamlessly integrated into our system. We continually review to make it better.

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