John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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75. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will establish a process to allow public representatives from the North to make representations to the Passport Office to assist in the processing of passport applications from the North; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13674/23]

John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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Given the ongoing refusal by the Government to acknowledge that there is a need for a Passport Office to be opened in the North, will the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs consider putting in place a mechanism to allow elected public representatives, including MLAs and MPs, from the North to make representations to the Department on behalf of their constituents with regard to their Irish passport applications?

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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First, I would like to highlight the positive position of the passport service. It is successfully meeting the current high demand. All turnaround times are at their target level and there are no backlogs. Over 230,000 passports have been issued in the first three months of 2023.

I have fully supported the provision of an online portal for passport queries from MLAs from the Northern Ireland Assembly and am pleased to confirm that this has been developed and will be launched shortly. The portal will facilitate MLAs to bring urgent cases to the attention of the passport service. It will operate on a similar basis to the Oireachtas phone line which Oireachtas Members use to query applications on behalf of citizens.

It is important to note that this channel will not function as a means of expediting passport applications. In each case raised by an elected representative, the passport service reviews the application. Applications can only be expedited in cases of genuine emergency, such as urgent medical treatment overseas or the death of a family member abroad.

Currently, elected representatives of Irish citizens, including those from Northern Ireland, can make formal representations to me in relation to passport applications by submitting inquiries directly to my office. Passport applicants can also track the status of their application online via the passport tracker available on my Department's website. This is an excellent guide as to where an application is in the system. I encourage all applicants who have a query about their application to contact the passport service's customer service hub, where they can speak to a passport service agent via phone or web chat; 100% of callers to the passport service are getting through each day.

Again, as I said earlier in respect of passport offices in Northern Ireland and in the west of Ireland, the overwhelming strategy is to digitise the service and this is working very significantly for the applicants. We need to keep the focus on the easiest and the most effective way to apply. Without question, the digital strategy is the most effective.

John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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I welcome the political decision that has been taken to open the hub for representations from MLAs. It is a critical decision because that technology has been there for the last year or so. The Minister's predecessor, Deputy Coveney, gave us a similar response last year. He said it was being looked at. The Minister might give us specific dates as to when it is going to be implemented and explain why it will not be extended to MPs, who have also been elected in the North. They also have a mandate and are equally entitled to make representations on behalf of Irish citizens.

There is a huge demand. Last year, more than 128,000 Irish passports were issued in the North and 50,000 of those were first-time applications. Many of those public representatives had to come through Members of this House to try to get clarity as to where the application was and how it was progressing through the Passport Office.

Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent)
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I thank Deputy Brady.

John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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The Minister might give us some more specific details as to when exactly the portal will be opened to representations.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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As I said, we are confirming that it will be launched shortly. The word "shortly" is a very beloved word.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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Expansion is the word.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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However, it will be shortly. I am positive about that aspect of it. Only recently it was extended to MEPs, who did not have access to it, but I decided to give a small number of them access as well. MLAs will now get access. I do not have information about the specific week or whenever we will have it. However, it will be happening shortly and it is ready to go. As I said earlier, 90% of applicants last year applied through passport online and that figure will continue to grow as the passport service's digital first strategy continues to roll out. In Northern Ireland, the demand is approximately 10% of total applications received by the passport service.

John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister. I would like clarity as to what "shortly" actually means. Maybe the Minister will come back to us. The technology is there. The hub has been developed and it is in place. It is just a political decision that needs to be taken to roll it out to MLAs. The Minister did not answer the question about MPs and whether it can be extended to them. If it is being extended to MEPs there should be no reason it cannot be extended to MPs who are elected in the North. What analysis has been carried out? The Minister is probably acutely aware that a five-week strike will potentially take place in the British passport office. I believe that will have the serious impact of people in the North putting in new applications for Irish passports on foot of that, given fears they may have in relation to having a passport by summertime. What analysis has been carried out on that?

To conclude, I reiterate there is a demand for a passport office to be opened in the North-----

Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent)
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I thank the Deputy.

John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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I know the Minister will counter that and he will dismiss it but I believe there is strong evidence there for it.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The evidence so far this year in terms of the response is good; 100% of people are getting call backs and 230,000, which was the figure I gave earlier, have already been processed in three months. It is a good service and it is working well.

Regarding MPs, I did not realise that Sinn Féin's MPs were that anxious to exercise their mandate. I know they ran for election but they do not take their seats. I remember they were-----

John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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Rightfully so, too.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Sinn Féin's members were conspicuously absent during the Brexit debate-----

John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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They still have an electoral mandate.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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-----and it would have been very helpful if we had had more Irish voices at the time arguing about Brexit.

John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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We are doing what Fianna Fáil wants done and that was boycotting Westminster.

Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent)
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One voice at a time.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I am glad the Deputy has given Members of my party credit for Irish independence. I appreciate that. That is a bit different from the normal narrative that comes.

John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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What the Minister is saying is wrong and is questionable.

Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent)
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Please, one voice.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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A strain.