Niall Collins (Limerick, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the arrangements in place to facilitate Irish citizens who require an emergency passport from the Dublin office; if he will outline the various options open to them; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44186/12]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Applicants applying at the Passport Service public offices can ask to have an application expedited in the case of urgent travel need. In such cases, the Passport Service will issue a passport within 3 working days. A fee of €55, which is additional to the applicable fee for the issue of a passport, must be paid by the applicant. When applying through a public office, the applicant must state clearly at the time of application that the passport is needed urgently and must provide satisfactory evidence of the need to expedite the application. An expedited service is not provided in cases where the applicant is a first time adult applicant and cannot be guaranteed where an applicant cannot produce his/her previous passport due to loss or theft. In cases where a passport is required for travel necessitated by an emergency such as the death or illness of a family member receive the highest priority and are generally turned around on the same day. This service is available at the Passport Service public offices. Outside of normal opening hours, a duty officer service is in place to deal with similar emergencies which cannot await the reopening of a public office.

I should point out that the standard processing time for all passports received through the Passport Express Service available through post offices is 10 working days. Applications made over the counter in the Passport Office in Dublin City Centre or in Cork during the peak season of application demand are processed within 15 working days.