Gabrielle McFadden (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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255. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if post offices and their staff have been formally briefed on the recent changes in certain protocols for documentation required for passports, following the changes introduced recently; the person responsible for briefing post offices and their staff; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29471/15]

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Passport Express is the primary service for obtaining a passport within the State. It is delivered by the Department’s Passport Service in partnership with An Post. Its popularity is reflected by the fact that over 90% of all passport applications in the State are made through this service.

An Post, through its approximately 900 offices, brings Passport Express to local communities throughout the country by providing a premium, next-day secure postal service for:

(i) the delivery of passport applications at the front end of the passport process; and

(ii) the collection of personalised passports when the passport entitlement and production processes have been completed.

Responsibility for implementing the Passport Act remains the sole preserve of the Passport Service. An Post staff do not examine or check the compliance of any application that is lodged with them.

A new step by step guide to completing your passport application form was rolled out in recent weeks. Additionally information in regard to passport entitlement is available through our website .