Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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468. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the position regarding the processing of passports (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15189/20]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Passport Service begun a phased return to full operation on 8 June 2020. The Passport Service has processed over 65,000 books and cards since re-opening.. The Passport Service is currently meeting the target turnaround times for Passport Online applications.

This is 10 working days for simple applications and 20 working days for complex applications, once the supporting documentation has been received.

At present, there are over 29,000 Passport Online applications in the system. Of these, approximately two-thirds are awaiting further action from the application such as submitting supporting documentation or a suitable photograph.

The paper based application channel, Passport Express, will not re-commence until later in the summer. At present, there are approximately 200 applications received until March 2020 being processed.