Michael Noonan (Limerick East, Fine Gael)
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Question 356: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will establish a passport office in Limerick; if his attention has been drawn to the inconvenience and difficulty experienced by applicants in travelling to Cork or Dublin for passports required at short notice; if his further attention has been drawn to the desirability of a passport office in close proximity to Shannon Airport; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30563/06]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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While there are no plans at present to open further passport offices, it is the policy to keep the operation of the passport service under on-going review. As background, I should say that the majority of passports are now issued through the "Passport Express" service which is operated jointly by my Department and An Post. This service is available in over 1,000 post offices throughout the State. Overall, more than 90% of all passports are processed within 10 working days.

In response to the ever increasing demand for passports in recent years, as well as requirements for higher security standards, and a commitment to offer our citizens the most effective possible service, the passport issuing system has been going through a process of modernisation and upgrading. A new Automated Passport System was introduced in late 2004, in the new Passport Production facility in Balbriggan, Co. Dublin, followed by the main Passport Office in Molesworth Street in January 2005. The system was extended to the Cork and London Passport Offices in late 2005 and to all our Missions abroad during 2005 and 2006. Our new passport booklet is one of the most secure in the world and has been widely admired.

The Department is also working on developing online facilities to enable applicants to track the progress of their application over the internet. This facility will be available imminently. We are also introducing biometrics into passports later this month, in order to further improve passport security and comply with the latest international standards for secure travel documents. It will also ensure that Irish citizens can continue to avail of visa free travel to the United States.