Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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748. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if separate Garda National Immigration Bureau arrangements could be made for employed tax-paying persons, many of whom are here as the result of IDA Ireland incentives and are often forced to take several days from work to queue for renewal in view of limited number of renewals dispensed each day; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13188/14]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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A dedicated public office where non-nationals who are resident in the Dublin Metropolitan area are required to register, pursuant to section 9 of the Immigration act 2004, is situated at the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB), 13-14, Burgh Quay, Dublin, 2. Outside of this area, registration is undertaken in Garda Síochána District stations. The public office in Burgh Quay is by far the busiest registration office in the State serving over 70% of those non-nationals subject to registration requirements. Every effort is made to accommodate the various categories of persons required to register. The GNIB Public Office is open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. each Monday to Thursday and from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. each Friday (excluding bank holidays). The Offices also remains open through lunchtime. Priority is given in the early morning period for particular categories including those coming here to work, etc. with tickets for people registering their presence in Ireland for study-related purposes being allocated after 9 a.m. This is to minimise the amount of time people at work are required to be away from their jobs. It is worth noting that the public immigration offices receive in the region of 130,000 people annually in respect of registration of non-EEA people residing in the State and applicants seeking re-entry visas as well as callers seeking information or for other business.

The nature of the registration requirements necessitates the personal attendance of the applicant at his or her registration office. Every effort is made to ensure the process is undertaken in a timely manner. First-time registrations take longer because of the need to take biometric information. The GNIB endeavours, where possible, to provide a same-day service for non-nationals who pay the required fee for a registration certificate by way of Debit or Credit card. A person paying the said fee by way of bank giro is required to return to the Registration Office on another day when the payment has been verified for the purpose of being issued with a registration certificate. I am conscious of the need to maintain and develop good service levels to customers. In this regard, the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department is undertaking a number of projects with the aim of developing and improving immigration services. In the area of reform of in-country aspects of immigration services, INIS is looking at developing a range of measures including online application and appointment systems for certain services, including registration. This should help alleviate time spent waiting for services and assist the person in scheduling appointments to best suit their working arrangements.