Written answers

Friday, 16 December 2016

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Passport Services

Photo of Brendan SmithBrendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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270. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will give consideration to a request made to an Oireachtas committee (details supplied); his views on whether the provision of such a service would be particularly beneficial for a sizeable proportion of the population; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40926/16]

Photo of Charles FlanaganCharles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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The vast majority of passport applications from both sides of the border are made through the post office networks on this island. This remains the most efficient and cost-effective way to apply and applications can be submitted at some seventy post offices in Northern Ireland and at over one thousand post offices in the state.

To accommodate a relatively small number of people with urgent or sudden travel needs, an appointment service is in operation in the Passport Offices in Dublin and Cork. This on-line service provides flexibility in allowing customers to book guaranteed time slots, Monday to Friday. It removes the necessity for the small number of citizens who need their passports for urgent travel reasons to queue and ensures that waiting times at public counters are minimised.

The passport reform programme, which is well underway, will deliver further significant customer service improvements in the coming years. From early next year an on-line option for passport renewal for adults will be offered to citizens, whether they are based on the island of Ireland or abroad. I expect that the efficiencies generated by the online passport application system will result in lower turnaround times, fewer demands on the Passport Offices in Dublin and Cork and an increase in customer satisfaction.

Overall, I am satisfied that the range of service options meets the current needs of passport applicants and that the service improvements on the way will allow the Passport Service to cope with future challenges. This includes further increases in the number of applications from Northern Ireland.

My Department will continue to keep service levels under careful review and adjustments will be made to the deployment of current resources as needed.

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