Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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Question 45: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of passport applications submitted for the years 2007 to 2011, inclusive, and to date in 2012; the number of applicants who were requested to submit additional information in each of these years; the average time in each of these cases to process a passport; if additional personnel will be allocated to the Passport Office during the high summer season; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11816/12]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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The total number of passport applications received and the number of applications for which additional information was sought for the period 2007 to 24 February 2012 is detailed as follows.

It is not possible to quantify the average time to process a passport application. However, applications submitted through the Passport Express service in post offices within the State have been processed within ten working days of receipt in the Passport Service, save in exceptional circumstances.

I can confirm that 125 temporary staff have been recruited by the Passport Service for this year's high summer season. All 125 staff are in place and all but a very small number have completed a training programme in passport processing. The recruitment of 125 temporary staff for 2012 contrasts with the 85 that were recruited in March 2011 for the 2011 season and 52 recruited for the 2010 season.