Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am glad to take this Commencement matter on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Coveney, who is at a Cabinet meeting and could not be here. The Senator raises an important area because there has been a significant focus on passports in the past four or five months, with much pressure on the system. All online applications are processed in the same way. This includes all applications from throughout Ireland, North or South. Renewal applications, since citizenship has already been established, are generally processed with a turnaround time of ten working days for adult renewals and 15 working days for child or complex renewals regardless of where the application is made. Therefore, there is no difference in processing time for renewal applications between those applicants with addresses in Northern Ireland or in the State.

First-time applications are more complex regardless of where people are from due to increased complexity of documentation required to confirm the person's identity and entitlement to citizenship. First-time applicants resident within the State must have their identify and consent forms witnessed by a member of An Garda Síochána. A log of such applications is maintained by An Garda Síochána, which allows for a streamlined verification process. First-time passport applicants resident outside the State, including in Northern Ireland, can avail of a broad range of witnesses for this purpose. The witnessing of these forms is a vital element of the identity verification process for the Passport Service, as it provides initial assurance that the person in the photograph is the same person who submitted the passport application form. It is of great importance that we get that right. In the case of an application for a minor, the witnessing of this form provides evidence that guardians give consent for a passport to be issued to the child. In order to protect the rights of parents or guardians and children, it is important that forms are fully verified by the Passport Service by contacting the witness directly. That is key. One might be surprised at the number of applications that are received without the consent of parents. That part of the work is taken seriously to make sure we get it right.

First-time applications from outside the State, including Northern Ireland, can also be more complex due to the variety of documentation received from other jurisdictions. Officers processing these applications must therefore be highly skilled and experienced. The Passport Service takes its responsibility to protect the integrity of the Irish passport seriously. The Irish passport has a strong international reputation due to the strength of the security features within the passport book and the robust processes involved in its issuance. The Irish passport was recently ranked fifth in the Henley Passport Index as it provides our citizens with visa-free access to 187 countries. Accordingly, a rigorous analysis process is in place to verify the identity and citizenship status of first-time applicants. As a result, processing time for these applications can take a little longer.

The Passport Service continues to see an increasing demand for passports from citizens in Northern Ireland. A dedicated team has been deployed to focus solely on first-time applications from applicants resident in Northern Ireland with a view to significantly improving the turnaround times for these more complex applications. In the past four weeks, the Passport Service has issued an average of almost 6,000 passports per day and considerable improvements can be seen across the system. The Department of Foreign Affairs has made a significant investment in the Passport Service since last year to enhance customer service. The Passport Service is confident that the increased resources that have been allocated will improve the service to all of our citizens regardless of their place of residence, whether in Ireland or overseas.