John O'Mahony (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

One of the reactions to the decision of the UK to leave the EU has been a surge in applications for Irish passports both in the UK and in Northern Ireland. It is my understanding that there are millions of people eligible for Irish passports who have not previously applied, although things can sometimes be exaggerated in the media. The Passport Office does a wonderful job, sometimes with limited resources, to cope with applications for passports and to get them out on time, and some of us have been guilty of not renewing our passports on time. This is also a particularly busy time of the year. Is there a surge in applications? If that is the case, what are the plans to deal with this? The Passport Office would need additional resources if this were the case.