Niall Ó Donnghaile (Sinn Fein)
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Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit as a bheith linn don phlé seo inniu. 'Sé an fáth a chuirim an cheist ná go bhfuil ráchairt agus feachtasaíocht ollmhór ag dul ar aghaidh uirthi, go háirithe ó Thuaidh.

I thank the Minister of State for taking the time to come to speak to me about my request. I refer to the concerted call made by citizens and those in the North applying for Irish passports for a dedicated office and facility to meet the growing demand. The Minister of State will know that last year over 82,000 passport applications were received from the North and even more from Britain. The increase in the number of applications received from the North was almost one fifth on the number of applications made in 2016. The levels in 2016 were an increase on the numbers of applications made in 2015, while the levels in 2015 were an increase on the numbers of applications made in 2014. There has been a concerted pattern in the past few years.

First-time applicants for Irish passports accounted for almost one half of the requests received last year alone. The call comes not just from Sinn Féin, although we are proud to lead in the institution of the campaign, but also from other political parties in the North. The SDLP agree with us, while Fianna Fáil has indicated that it would like to see something located in the North. The Alliance Party has stated there is merit in looking at the opening of a service. It is about the interest shown in improving infrastructure and service delivery across the country. There are two passport offices. I the opportunity to commend the staff who have worked under immense pressure to deliver a vital and important service across the State. The offices in Cork and Dublin service those parts of the country very well. There has been incremental growth in demand not just from the Six Counties but also the broader north-west region. There is, therefore, merit in the Government considering how it can improve the infrastructure across all 32 counties. When Guy Verhofstadt addressed us a number of months ago, he highlighted the commitment to protect our rights as full Irish and EU citizens. I call on the Government to put its money where its mouth is and to make a practical infrastructural service investment in the northern part of our country. The Taoiseach rightly said that on his watch no longer will Irish citizens in the North feel abandoned. I ask that the Government does not abandon us, that it shows us that the preparations and work are under way as the unwanted and negative impact of Brexit is rolled out, and that the Irish Government remains steadfast and that it is here to stay in terms of citizens' rights in the North. One way to do that, which would certainly be hugely symbolic, would be the opening of a passport office. It would also help immensely with service delivery and the practicalities of the increasing demand for Irish passports from Irish citizens in the North.

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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The year 2017 was a record breaking one for the passport service, with approximately 780,000 passports issued. This was an increase of over 6% compared to 2016 and an increase of over 15% since 2015. That strong demand for Irish passports includes an increased demand from Irish citizens in Northern Ireland and Great Britain - overall, almost 20% of the total number of applications received by the passport service last year were from Northern Ireland and Great Britain. As the Senator pointed out, a total of 82,274 applications were received from applicants in Northern Ireland and first-time applicants represented approximately half of all those applications from Northern Ireland.

We predict that increasing demand will continue to be a feature of our work in 2018, bearing in mind a range of factors, including a growing population and economy. Between 1 and 21 January 2018, the passport service has already received 53,554 passport applications. Of this total and in the same period, we have received 4,446 applications from Irish citizens in Northern Ireland; 4,020 of these applications have been made via the Northern Ireland passport express service, while 425 have been received via the passport online renewal service.

In anticipation of increased demand my Department has commissioned research to try to better understand the potential demand for passports from citizens who have not yet applied for a passport. That study will assist the Department in formulating plans on the resources required into the future.

Responding to this significant and growing demand, the passport service offers a range of convenient channels for submission of passport applications by Irish citizens at home and abroad. Advice and guidance on these channels and other useful information on passports is available on the Department's website at .

The Department has worked exceptionally hard to ensure we provide a modern, secure and efficient passport service. An ambitious reform programme is in place to meet the unprecedented demand for passports from Irish citizens at home and abroad, and to continuously strengthen systems guarding against fraud and protecting the integrity of the Irish passport.

The award-winning online passport renewal service was launched in March 2017 and offers the convenience of an online application system 24 hours a day, seven days a week for adult Irish citizens anywhere in the world, without the need for application forms, printed photos or witnesses. The introduction of online service not only offers improved customer experience but is also resulting in efficiency gains which are assisting my Department to manage the large volume increases in applications.

Citizens who cannot or do not wish to apply online have the option of applying through their local post office. In 2017, over 400,000 citizens availed of this option and submitted their passport application through the network of more than 1,000 post offices across the State. The Northern Ireland passport express service offers an equivalent service to those living in Northern Ireland from more than 70 of its post offices. We are keenly aware of the importance of our post office network on this island and I want to acknowledge the valuable role it plays in administering the passport express service, offering a convenient and cost-effective option for citizens across the island of Ireland.

Bearing in mind the availability of both the online and postal application channels, very few citizens living on the island of Ireland are required to travel a significant distance in order to apply for their passport. In the relatively small number of cases where citizens need to travel very urgently and do not have a valid passport, the passport offices in Dublin and Cork offer an appointment service, including where necessary a rapid renewal one-day service. The passport service keeps passport demand under review on an ongoing basis.

To address the increased demand for passports during peak season, the passport service is this year employing over 210 temporary clerical officers to assist in processing. These staff have been hired and the roles are currently being filled. My Department has also been working closely with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to fill permanent positions across all passport offices and I am pleased to say that over 20 permanent staff have joined the passport service in the past month.Furthermore, it is already planned to further extend the online application facility to all citizens, including first-time applicants and children by 2019. That will be a very significant step indeed in terms of enhancing the service for all citizens. That will allow additional efficiency gains and improvements in customer service. People who cannot or do not wish to apply online will still be able to submit their applications through a service provider with an extensive network of contact points throughout the country.

In all the circumstances, I am satisfied that the range of service options available meets the current needs of passport applicants and projected demand and I do not see a compelling rationale to open an additional passport office in Northern Ireland at this time. I should clarify that any new office would need to have the capacity to provide a rapid renewal service to applicants with urgent travel needs, such as that available through the passport office in Dublin. That would require an on-site passport production machine in a specially controlled and secure environment. The purchase cost of a new passport printing machine alone would be approximately €1.7 million. That is without security, technical, fit-out, staffing and rental costs. An outreach office without production facilities could not offer a significantly faster service than the online option and it would do no more than duplicate the passport express service already offered through local post offices.

In all the circumstances, I am convinced that with the existing and future range of services, including passport express, rapid renewal and online services, my Department will continue to more than adequately meet the needs of all passport applicants, wherever in the island of Ireland they are living. My Department is also working on an outreach public awareness programme, to inform the general public of all the services available in terms of applying for a passport.

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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The response might not be entirely to the Senator's liking but I will allow him a brief supplementary.

Niall Ó Donnghaile (Sinn Fein)
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Tá sé sin iontach spéisiúil. I do not disagree with most of what the Minister of State said. The passport service is first class. The staff in the post office network and in the passport office provide an immensely worthwhile service for citizens right across the State. I am disappointed that the associated cost is seen as a reason for not locating the service in the North. The Minister of State cited €1.7 million as the cost for the print facility but I am sure all 82,274 people who applied for a new and renewed passport paid for the service so I do not believe cost is necessarily the best case to make. This is about investment, future planning and meeting a clearly identifiable need. In the broader political context, which we cannot ignore, this is about saying to Irish citizens north of the Border that we are investing in them and we see them as part of the life of this State and this country overall and we will meet the need with a service delivery to which they are entitled. While I agree that the service at this stage is first class, as the Minister of State rightly outlined, there is a growing demand which I expect will continue to grow. The very broad political call for this service will not go away.

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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Could I respond to that?

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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The Minister of State can but we are out of time.

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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It is critical to point out that the rights of our citizens on the entire island of Ireland to apply for and to retain an Irish passport is at the very core of the work that we do. I fully agree that significant challenges will arise in terms of what Brexit will bring but the service is available through the network of 70 post offices and increasingly online. Last year if one were to avail of the online service one had to be over 18 and renewing one's passport but we will shortly allow the service to be accessed by everybody applying for a passport, including for the first time. That is a significant development.

The purchase cost of the machine would be €1.7 million. The number of applicants submitting their applications through any additional or new office would not be sufficient to keep the machine running for more than half an hour a day, as it can print approximately 500 passports per hour. If we channel our resources through enhancing all the services that already exist on the island which are available to all citizens of the island, that would be a far more appropriate use of those resources.