Dáil debates
Thursday, 19 May 2016
Adjournment Debate
Passport Applications
5:45 pm
Declan Breathnach (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Ceann Comhairle for this, my first opportunity to speak on the Adjournment and, indeed, to ask questions of the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade. I wish the Minister well in his reappointment to his post and look forward to working with him and his departmental officials during the lifetime of this Dáil.
I pay tribute to and thank all those who work in the Passport Office with whom my office has almost daily dealings. It can be a place of frayed nerves and anxiety for the public, usually due to time constraints, deadlines and a fear that a holiday, business trip or sometimes unforeseen need to travel will not happen. That said, the integrity and security of passports should never be compromised to expedite a person's needs. I was informed, prior to becoming a Member of this House, to expect a spike in passport requests. As a newbie, as it were, I certainly can testify to that.
The holiday season may be upon us, but my issue relates to recently announced changes in the passport service by the Department effective from 29 March 2016. These changes relate to the requirement for first-time applicants for passports aged 18 and over and who are resident in Ireland to have public service cards, PSCs, for identification purposes and also the requirement to have PSCs for applications from adults whose passports were issued prior to 2005 and which have since been reported lost, stolen or damaged.
In the past two weeks, my office has been inundated with calls from regular and late or delayed requests for urgent passports, but I am beginning to experience the new PSC requirement as posing an even more difficult problem. I believe the problem will be further exacerbated unless the Passport Office takes a number of proactive steps to highlight further the need for the PSCs in the categories I mentioned.
I will give an example of the anxiety experienced during the past week by an 18 year old schoolgirl looking forward to a school trip abroad. She had applied to the Passport Office in good time and answered all the questions on the official passport application. However, her application was returned to her unprocessed six days before her departure date and she was informed by the Department of Social Welfare that the processing of the public services card would take an average of seven working days. While I understand the delay in processing the public services card due to the photo matching process, this schoolgirl may not be able to travel with her friends on the school trip.
While I am aware of the uniqueness of every passport application form, in that it has a bar code system, what steps has the Minister taken to withdraw all the old application forms from Garda stations, post offices, libraries and the Passport Office? Are the updated forms that highlight the new requirements and change it available in these locations? Citizens are still completing the old forms, unaware of the changes, unless they happen to consult the Passport Office website, and their bona fideapplications are being returned with insufficient time to secure the valid passport due to the need for the public service card.
Is there a new passport application form with the new rules on it? Will the Minister consider relaxing the two rules for a specified period in order to enable the public to be better informed about the process? Will he ensure all places where passport application forms are available will conduct proactive advertising campaigns in conjunction with the Passport Office on the needs of the public services card when applying under the two categories I have mentioned? Finally, bearing in mind that 50% of our population have public services cards, equating to 2 million people, and that projections from the Department of Social Protection estimate that an additional 1 million people will apply for the card in the near future, surely there is a job of work for both Departments to give more attention to the need for the card and alleviate all additional stress on those needing passports or other services into the future.
5:55 pm
Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Breathnach for raising this important issue. The Irish Passport Office, and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade as its parent Department, are committed to ongoing reform and innovation to enhance and protect the integrity of the Irish passport booklet. Our passport booklet is widely recognised as being one of the most secure in the world. Protecting its reputation and, in the broad sense, protecting Irish citizens, requires ongoing reform to guard against passport fraud and identity theft. This House will be well aware that in today's modern world, criminals are highly mobile and their criminal empires can straddle national borders. There is a duty and an obligation on the State to guard against passport fraud, identity theft and ensure the measures we have in place are appropriate and effective.
Since 29 March 2016, my Department has required all first-time passport applicants who are resident in Ireland and are over 18 years of age to hold a valid public services card. The decision to use the public services card as a key step in establishing the identity of adults applying for a passport for the first time is in line with a Government decision of July 2005 which approved, in principle, the use of the public services card for identity verification by all public bodies. This new requirement also applies to the small number of adult applicants whose last passport was issued before 1 January 2005 and which is reported as lost, stolen or damaged. The measure is an important step in the fight against fraud and identity theft, and in our overall efforts to protect the integrity of the Irish passport. It will ensure the identity of first-time applicants for Irish passports is further verified to a high standard.
The public services card is used increasingly as an efficient and secure means to access Government services, including social welfare services, and for the purposes of free travel. Already more than 1.8 million public services cards are in circulation. This new requirement was announced by my Department on 10 March and received extensive press coverage. Information notices have been posted in the Passport Offices In Dublin and Cork, as well as in Department of Social Protection offices, to advise customers they will be required to present a public services card when applying for a passport. These information notices were also circulated to all Garda stations. My Department's website advises first time applicants of the requirement for this card and answers frequently asked questions.
However, I am conscious that we should avail of any and every opportunity to highlight this new measure and I would be grateful for the assistance of Members of the Oireachtas in this regard. I thank Deputy Breathnach for his initiative in raising the issue in the House. In the coming days I will circulate guidance in respect of passport application procedures and I will include a notice about the passport application and renewal process, including the public services card requirements, that Deputies might display in constituency offices throughout the country. The new requirement to hold a valid public services card dispenses with previous photo identification requirements for passport purposes such as a certified copy of a driving licence or college identification. It also dispenses with the requirement for proof of name.
As I mentioned, there are more than 1.8 million public services cards in circulation, but where a person does not have a public services card and falls into the category of people requiring one for passport purposes, he or she can apply for the card through a secure process of face-to-face registration at the offices of the Department of Social Protection. There, customers will be required to produce relevant documents to complete the public services card registration. An online appointment booking service is available at www.mywelfare.ie. The new measure applies only to first time adult applicants and in cases of passports issued before 1 January 2005 which are lost, stolen or damaged. It does not apply in the case of applications for renewals of passports or to applications for children.
I will take this opportunity to highlight an important message about applying for passports. Turnaround time for passports can vary depending on seasonal and other factors. This year we are experiencing a very significant and sustained rise in the demand for passports. Among the reasons are a projected significant increase in outbound travel from Ireland. This surge is putting major pressure on the Passport Office and we have taken mitigating steps. It is best practice for prospective travellers to check the expiry date on their passports well before booking a trip.
Additional information not given on the floor of the House
It is particularly important to keep an eye on the validity for children's passports given that it is shorter than for adults. For first time applications, prospective travellers should allow at least six weeks for the passport to be processed due to the additional security measures pertaining to first time applications. It is essential that passport applications are properly completed and any support documentation replied is included. Of course, we will do all we can to ensure that cases of genuine emergency are dealt with. There is a huge amount of information available on the Passport Office website and on its Twitter account and I would urge the public to consult my Department’s website for information on passports and for travel advice.