Results 10,141-10,160 of 20,410 for speaker:Brian Stanley

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (30 Jun 2022)

Brian Stanley: I have some questions. Time is limited, so I will try to keep them concise and I ask the witnesses to try to do the same with their answers. Regarding the Garda verification of passports, I had a situation where a constituent had a passport application witnessed at the Garda station in Edenderry, which is a town of approximately 11,000 people. The person works in Dublin, as many people...

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (30 Jun 2022)

Brian Stanley: That is okay. How much is the overall cost of the Passport Office every year?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (30 Jun 2022)

Brian Stanley: It is €35 million. I noticed passports brought in a similar figure.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (30 Jun 2022)

Brian Stanley: It is €53 million. It washes its own face. It pays for itself.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (30 Jun 2022)

Brian Stanley: On applying for renewal, someone's passport might be due to expire in June, but around St. Patrick's Day he or she will start thinking about these things. If someone's passport is not due to expire until June, can he or she apply for renewal in January or February?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (30 Jun 2022)

Brian Stanley: I suggest the Passport Office advertise that. During the quiet months, when people are not travelling anywhere, that might be one way of dealing with it. In other words, the Passport Office would not get a huge spike at this time of year. It has started to slow down a little in the past couple of weeks, or at least I hope so. If it was advertised early in the year, or even over the winter...

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (30 Jun 2022)

Brian Stanley: I was nearly caught myself regarding a passport last year. I just copped it that day, but with the online turnaround I got the passport in three or four days.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (30 Jun 2022)

Brian Stanley: I could not believe it, but that was a simple renewal. I ask Ms Byrne to clarify whether it is €180 or €200 that is paid for urgent appointments.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (30 Jun 2022)

Brian Stanley: What is the fee for the one-day turnaround?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (30 Jun 2022)

Brian Stanley: If Joe Bloggs wants a passport tomorrow, can he get it? He is travelling on Saturday.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (30 Jun 2022)

Brian Stanley: On a point Deputy Carthy raised earlier, how long is the waiting list for an appointment? I ask Ms Byrne to clarify that.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (30 Jun 2022)

Brian Stanley: Is there a three-day wait?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (30 Jun 2022)

Brian Stanley: At a previous meeting, the Secretary General of the Department, Mr. Niall Burgess, told us there was a backlog of 89,000 passports that would be cleared by the end of July. Deputy Munster asked in 2021 whether it was likely that everything would "be cleared by the end of July, or at least mid-July, as opposed to the end of June as stated." Serious problems were outlined but here we are 12...

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (30 Jun 2022)

Brian Stanley: Will Ms Byrne come back to us with a figure on that?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (30 Jun 2022)

Brian Stanley: I raised the possibility of a Passport Office in Belfast, in addition to a service for the 18 MPs in the North. Mr. Sammy Wilson might be anxious to use it, or some of the MPs there. In the context of the current crisis, there is a need for it. There are 846 people currently staffing the Passport Office. Is it correct that 41% of them are temporary staff?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (30 Jun 2022)

Brian Stanley: Is there an explanation for that? The figure seems very high.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (30 Jun 2022)

Brian Stanley: Do newbies from outside the service account for some of that 41% or are they existing civil servants?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (30 Jun 2022)

Brian Stanley: They are complete newbies. It is straight in.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (30 Jun 2022)

Brian Stanley: Some of them are regular seasonal staff.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 27 - International Co-operation
Vote 28 - Foreign Affairs (30 Jun 2022)

Brian Stanley: The Passport Office might have very few temporary staff during the winter period.