Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy. The short answer is that we do. We are trying to get to a sustainable position where we do not see peaks and troughs, but rather a consistent, good and high-quality service with turnaround times that are at least in line with the office's expectation. I am pleased to say that at the moment, the times are ahead of expectations. Of course, and I say this respectfully to all of our constituents and the people of Ireland, people can help us by checking their passports before booking foreign travel and trying to apply in plenty of time.

Things can happen in anybody's life, including the need for people to travel urgently for a variety of reasons, sometimes very tragic reasons. We have processes in place to help people in Dublin and Cork with those in-person appointments. There are a number of slots available each day.

That would be a source of assistance to the Deputy's constituents, too.

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