Dáil debates

Thursday, 30 September 2021

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions

Passport Services

9:20 am

Photo of Michael LowryMichael Lowry (Tipperary, Independent)
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4. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the measures that have been implemented to support and assist the management and staff of the Passport Office in dealing with the backlog of applications; the plans that can be introduced to avoid recurring delays, given that inordinate delays result in inconvenience and stress to waiting applicants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46866/21]

Photo of Michael LowryMichael Lowry (Tipperary, Independent)
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What measures have been implemented to support and assist the management and staff of the Passport Office in dealing with the backlog of applications? What plans can be introduced to avoid recurring delays, given that the enormous delays in recent times have resulted in inconvenience and stress for many applicants?

Photo of Simon CoveneySimon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy will be aware that the operations of the Passport Office were severely disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic, as were many other government services. Emergency passport services were maintained during the pandemic. That required staff to be on site to process and issue passports. As a result of well-implemented safety protocols, 67,000 passport books and cards were issued between January and May of this year.

Since the beginning of the year, the passport service has issued almost 450,000 passports and passport cards. More than 4,500 FBR applications have been processed in cases of exceptional urgency. The customer service hub team has had contacts with more than 80,000 customers via webchat and phone.

The passport service is currently experiencing high demand for first-time passports. Of the 130,000 applications currently on hand, 60% are first-time applications. To protect the integrity of the passport system, such applications require careful processing to validate the identity of the applicant and his or her entitlement to Irish citizenship for the first time. Additionally, in the case of children, consent of all guardians must be validated.

In line with our continued scaling up of services, the Passport Office on Mount Street resumed its urgent appointment service for renewal of passports on Monday, 27 September 2021. This service is available to people who unexpectedly require their passport to be renewed at short notice and opt for this fee-based service to do so. Currently, 99% of the passport service staff involved in customer service and the production of passports are working on site. When I visited the Passport Office recently, I saw at first-hand the high quality of service our passport staff provide to Irish citizens.

My Department is working closely with the Public Appointments Service to recruit temporary clerical officers to support expanded passport service operations in the coming months. We expect and are planning for a dramatic increase in the number of passports we will need to deliver next year. The previous high involved approximately 1 million passports in a year. We expect that figure could be 50% higher next year because of the lag period as a consequence of Covid.

Photo of Michael LowryMichael Lowry (Tipperary, Independent)
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Now that society is gradually returning to some normality, including in respect of international travel, it is vital that the backlog is cleared as quickly as possible. It is important that supports and systems are put in place to avoid a repeat of long delays, particularly in the run-up to Christmas, when thousands of people are expected to travel home, probably for the first time in two years, to be reunited with family and friends. Now is the time to plan ahead and make the necessary resources available to the Passport Office.

I welcome the fact that the urgent appointment service for the renewal of passports recommenced last Monday. Although it is good news for the public, it is to be hoped it will also bring some relief to the staff of the Passport Office as it will allow for a more structured working day. How will the urgent appointments service operate? What criteria must be met for an application to be deemed urgent? How many urgent passport applications will be catered for daily? What will the waiting period be for receipt of such passports?

Photo of Simon CoveneySimon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The passport service is currently working closely with the human resources division of the Department and the Public Appointments Service on an ongoing basis to recruit additional staff to meet the current and forecast demands for passports. Additional staff have been assigned to the Passport Office sites on Mount Street and in Tallaght, with plans to assign additional staffing to the Passport Office locations in Balbriggan and Cork in the coming weeks. The Public Appointments Service has assigned temporary clerical officers who will be available to take up duty quickly once security and pre-employment processes are completed. Additional officers will be recruited in the coming weeks, in line with the full relaxation of social distancing measures.

The urgent appointments service is available to people who need to renew their passports urgently.

To avail of the urgent appointments service for passport renewal, applicants must first book an appointment to attend the public office in Mount Street, Dublin 2. This is a limited service and slots are allocated by appointment on a first come, first served basis. Applicants can book an appointment through the Department of Foreign Affairs website, www.dfa.ie/passports.

9:30 am

Photo of Michael LowryMichael Lowry (Tipperary, Independent)
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I welcome the fact that priority is being given to clearing up the backlog. A great deal of frustration has built up over a period of time due to people's inability to make contact or get information on the progress of their applications. The Passport Office was under extreme pressure and it has done a fantastic job in the circumstances that have prevailed, but customer service must be improved. It needs a human touch. I heard reports from people who simply could not contact the office or get information on the progress of their applications. Delays are excusable, but lack of information and lack of contact with the applicants is inexcusable and should be addressed. Generally, progress has been made on passports and I welcome the Minister's statement today. However, people are entitled to expect a quality, reliable service within a reasonable timescale. I hope this can be achieved with the measures the Minister is taking at present and with the increase in staff.

Photo of Simon CoveneySimon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy is correct that people are right to expect a quality service within a reasonable timescale and to expect to be able to get updates and information when they need them. There is a great deal of information online. There is also, effectively, a call centre which is working to update people on passports. I mentioned earlier that over 80,000 people have been in contact with the passport service this year. My job is to ensure that we resource those services. We are planning for a significant increase in demand for passports next year as many people will not have updated or checked their passports because they have not been able to travel for the last 18 months or so. As a result, we expect that there will be a significant and dramatic increase in the need for passport renewals next year. We are planning for that in terms of extra staff and improved systems.