John Perry (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will convey the Senator's concerns to the Minister. In 2012 there were 328,000 applications processed, a significant number. It is a positive sign that the Minister has received approval for the redeployment of personnel.

I have no doubt, with retraining and additional staff, unless there is a massive increase in the volume in work, that there should be a reduction in timescale. As the Minister has clearly stated, he will convey the Senator's concerns to the Commissioner and will ask him to reply directly to the Senator.