Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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139. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the target turnaround time for passports across all services; the average turnaround time across all services for passports for May, June, July and August in each of the years 2015 to 2017 and to date in 2018, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30279/18]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The turnaround timeframe for a passport application will depend on the channel through which the application was submitted. The table below summarises the target turnaround times for the Passport Service’s main application channels. Turnaround times for individual missions outside Ireland and the UK are omitted as these will vary for each individual mission and are dependent on local postal services.The Passport Service has maintained consistent targets for the full duration of the timeframe in question. Turnaround times are among a number of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) by which the Passport Service measures its success in delivering a modern and responsive public service.

Table 1: Target turnaround times:

The following tables summarise the average actual turnaround times for each application channel for the months May to August for the years requested. Please note that the online passport application service was launched in March 2017 and so this channel does not appear for the 2015 and 2016 summaries.

Table 2 – Monthly average actual turnaround times May to August 2015:

Table 3 – Monthly average actual turnaround times May to August 2016:

Table 4 – Monthly average actual turnaround times May to August 2017:

Table 5 – Monthly average actual turnaround times May to June 2018:

Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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140. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if issuing reminders for renewal of passports has been considered in the passport service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30280/18]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Passport Service currently has a system for reminding passport holders that their passport is due for renewal. Passport holders must first enter their passport details on https://www.eforms.gov.ie/en/reminder/passport/ and they will be sent a reminder email three months prior to the expiry date of the passport. The Passport Service includes a notification highlighting this service with every new passport issued. The notification is attached to the protective laminate enclosed with the passport. I would urge all Deputies to encourage citizens to register for this free passport renewal reminder email service provided by my Department. I am grateful to Deputies for their continued assistance in advising constituents to submit their application in good time before their planned travel date and to consult the Passport Service’s webpage on my Department’s website before applying.

Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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141. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his plans to open an additional passport office in view of the increase in demand as a result of the Brexit referendum; the locations that have been considered for such an office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30281/18]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Passport Service offers a range of convenient channels for submission of passport applications by Irish citizens. An online passport application service was launched in March 2017 and offers the convenience of an online application system 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for Irish citizens anywhere in the world, without the need for application forms, printed photos or witnesses. At present, the online passport application service accommodates adult passport renewal applications and passport card applications. It is planned to extend the online application facility to other categories of renewal by the end of 2018. People who cannot or do not wish to apply online have the option of applying through their local post office. The vast majority of applications received by the Passport Service from applicants residing in the island of Ireland are submitted through Passport Express and Northern Ireland Passport Express. Northern Ireland Passport Express allows applicants living in Northern Ireland to apply for their passport through more than 70 post offices. Applicants residing in Great Britain can post their applications directly to the Cork Passport Office. Bearing in mind the availability of both the online and postal application channels, very few citizens living in the island of Ireland are required to travel a significant distance in order to apply for their passport. In the relatively small number of cases where citizens need to travel very urgently and do not have a valid passport, the Passport Offices in Dublin and Cork offer an appointment service.

Given the variety of options available, I am satisfied that the current needs of passport applicants are being met without the need for the establishment of a further passport office.

Advice and guidance on the above channels and other useful information on passports is available on the Department’s website at www.dfa.ie/passport.

Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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142. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of additional staff that have been hired in 2018 on a temporary basis in the passport service; the number of permanent staff that have requested parental leave for May to September 2018, inclusive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30282/18]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Passport Service monitors the volume of applications on an ongoing basis to ensure that staff resources are available to meet demand. In order to respond to anticipated application increases and to seasonal demands, the Passport Service has recruited 214 Temporary Clerical Officers (TCOs) so far this year. These TCOs have been appointed to the Passport Offices in Dublin and Cork and are working together with permanent staff to process passport applications and to deal with the high number of enquiries being made through the Passport Service’s various customer service channels. Additional measures taken by the Passport Service to address seasonal demand include the use of targeted overtime for all Passport Offices and the redeployment of experienced staff from across the Department to processing applications and responding to customer queries. Furthermore, the number of Full Time Equivalent staff permanently employed by my Department and assigned to the Passport Service has increased this year. Over 30 additional permanent staff have been assigned to the Passport Offices in Dublin and Cork since the beginning of the year.

A total of 18 staff members in the Passport Service made requests for parental leave in 2018 for the months May to September. Parental Leave provides unpaid time off work to care for a child or make arrangements for the child’s welfare. The duration of leave periods can vary from hours to months. Staff must submit their parental leave requests 6 months in advance of their leave date.