Aisling Dolan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I again thank the Senators who have brought forward the motion. I welcome the update from the Minister of State on the achievement with the Passport Office this year. It has been a challenging time, something that is understood by everyone. The Department of Foreign Affairs put measures in place. As the Minister of State has noted, the demand for online passports is incredible. I understand the online service will issue in excess of 1 million passports this year. Our population is growing and is now more than 5.5 million.

Regarding Northern Ireland, it is fantastic to see there have been 11,000 passport applications. The Minister of State said the figures stay roughly the same from month to month. Over 60% of applications are renewals. It is great to see the development and supports that have been put in place. I understand the need for more support, such as the additional office that was created and doubling of the work staff. That was crucial and needed five or six months ago, and it was put in place.

However, there have been challenging periods and we have all learned from that. We have learned how to ensure people are applying online where possible. We also need to acknowledge we have an older population. People aged 65 years or older may not have access to online applications, may be challenged when it comes to applying online and may instead submit paper applications. It is not something people want to hear when they want to get something quickly.

Another challenge I came across with my constituents is first-time applications. The process has been explained. However, there are challenges around Garda stations that are only open for three or four hours a day rather than on a 24-hour basis. There are challenges in rural areas in ensuring Garda stations can acknowledge queries from the Passport Office. Something has to be done and I understand it is being addressed.

I thank the Senators who brought forward the motion. There are a number of points we can highlight. I will, of course, fight for the west. I would love to see a passport office there. However, I want to double the workforce, put in place an additional office and ensure we maintain supports for people who do not have access to online services.