Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 3: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of persons working in the passport offices in Dublin and Cork; the current number of applications that are backlogged; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20888/10]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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There are currently 248 staff working in the passport offices in Dublin and Balbriggan and a further 72 in Cork. At 17 May 2010, there were 62,008 applications in the system.

The Department has obtained the necessary sanction to recruit 50 temporary staff and arrangements have been made for staff to commence work at short notice. If necessary, we are prepared to recruit additional staff.

These arrears are a direct result of the ongoing industrial action by the Civil Public and Services Union. It is currently taking up to 25 working days to process individual applications submitted through the passport express service, the Northern Ireland passport express service and at the counters in the Passport Office. Applications submitted through ordinary post are taking up to eight weeks to process. Applications, other than those that are prioritised on the basis of demonstrable urgent humanitarian need, are being processed on a first come, first served basis.

The dispute is having a severe impact on the travelling public. There are many Irish citizens whose trips abroad have had to be cancelled and holiday and work plans severely disrupted.

Every effort is being made to reduce the waiting time for applications, pending the resolution of the industrial action. Staff have been working overtime for some weeks and this has kept the level of increase in the backlog to a minimum and in recent days seen a marginal reduction in the backlog.

However, the backlog in passport applications can and will be overcome when the CPSU calls off its industrial action and co-operates with the recruitment of temporary staff normally engaged at this time of year. I would once again call on the CPSU to withdraw this restriction and to allow a significant number of currently unemployed workers to take on paid employment and assist in reducing the sizeable backlog of passport applications.

Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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It is important that we acknowledge that the staff at the Passport Office were one of the great examples of good public service in recent years and that it has been brought into disrepute by this go-slow. I join the Minister in requesting that the CPSU permits the temporary workers who are currently unemployed to be taken on. It would assist greatly in dealing with the backlog. A great inconvenience is being caused to many people because they cannot get their passports.

Will the Minister clarify how many machines are in operation? Where are they?

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I answered this question the last time. There are three machines.

Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Is there one here, one in Balbriggan and one in Cork?

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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There is no machine in Cork. I have ordered one.

Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Is it not possible to get a passport on the same day in Cork?

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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There are a number of machines and equipment.

Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Can a person get a passport on the same day in Cork?

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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If it is an emergency, yes.

Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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A person can get an emergency passport, not a passport.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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It depends on the flexibility and how people work in given situations.

Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Is there a passport machine in Cork?

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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There is no production facility.

Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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What about one for Limerick?

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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There is a point to make, apart from the industrial action, in terms of contingencies, such as the building being flooded. There is a case for the north west to have a machine, and the south. Those are the two priority areas.

Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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It is important there would be a facility somewhere along the western seaboard between Limerick and Donegal, perhaps in Castlebar.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The north west is an idea because there have been so many applications from the North.

Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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That is a fair point and we want to establish a passport office in that area.

I have previously raised the idea of establishing an information office at the airport for people who run into difficulties with their passports. Perhaps one of the airlines would take this up as an extra duty. There is hardly a day goes by but someone runs into difficulty at the airport. If it could fall within the remit of the airport authority as part of its information service to link up with the Department of Foreign Affairs to advise people on what they can do if they discover a problem with their passport at the airport.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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That is an interesting proposition and I will look into its feasibility.