Seán Kyne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Sinn Féin for tabling this motion. I support it and its aims. We have had several debates on passport issues in the last year. The concerns and negativity evident in the first two debates are not as apparent today because things have improved in this regard. This is not to say there have not been difficulties this year, but there has been a sea change in delivery and turnaround times in recent months. This must be acknowledged. Equally, however, it is a very stressful ordeal and we could all give testimony concerning some of the cases people have experienced, including people having to go to the Passport Office for emergency appointments, if they can get them. Other people have missed flights or have had to change flights. Many applicants were not sure what to do, including whether to cancel a paper application and to try the online process. People have endured all sorts of difficulties in recent months due to the unprecedented demand for passport services. Therefore, anything that makes this process easier and simpler is to be welcomed.

While we are obviously moving towards the provision of more services online, even the online process can be difficult for certain people. This includes the elderly and people who are not tech savvy. Having one-on-one assistance in person, even to take the required photograph and to ensure it is valid and uploaded, can be done more easily and conveniently in a situation where it is possible to meet people from the Passport Office, upload the documentation and get the passport a few days later.Having facilities like this in Northern Ireland will be of significant assistance to our citizens there who wish to avail of an Irish passport. Approximately 11,000 passport applications are received from Northern Ireland per month, so assistance in that regard would be welcome.

I cannot advocate for there being a passport office in every county, but there are gaps. We have offices in Dublin and Cork, so the north and west would be well served by having a passport office in the North and an additional one in the west, be it in Galway, Mayo or wherever. That would be useful. It would not have to be of such a scale and size as the Dublin Passport Office. It just has to be somewhere that is secure and where people can meet staff and do the uploading.

We should be moving away from paper applications. If ready assistance is provided in more locations, paper applications can eventually be done away with. They have created problems in terms of being able to expedite them, for example, in emergencies, and they can be left for weeks before they are even looked at. They created problems over the past year when the passport service was under pressure.

Opening other offices makes sense in terms of serving our citizens and trying to make life easier for them, be they in the North or elsewhere. That should be promoted and accepted by the Government. There are always issues to consider in respect of security, printing presses and so on. I understand Cork does not have a printer. Regardless of whether it should, this is about processing applications, having contact with people, uploading data and pictures, getting those sent off and having passports printed in Dublin and sent down from there. There would not be an issue in that regard.

I agree with Senator Currie on public representatives in the Assembly and MPs having quicker access for dealing with passport queries that come across their desks. This matter was mentioned previously when the Minister, Deputy Coveney, was before us.

I acknowledge the improvements that have been made since the start of the year. There are still some issues. A colleague has been dealing with two EU citizens who are married, have children and are living in this country. A number of their children have passports but they have run into major difficulties trying to get a passport for their third or fourth child despite the fact they are resident, working and contributing here. They are from EU member states. There seem to be some issues with understanding what is required. They have been asked to provide their residency permits even though they are citizens of the EU and are entitled to be here. This has created difficulties and getting the passport has taken an inordinate amount of time. They feel aggrieved over this because they are here legitimately and are working and contributing. They are entitled to the service the same as anyone else.

While I acknowledge there have been improvements, we can go further and there are more improvements we can consider making. I welcome and support the motion.