Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent)
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373. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade when both the Cork and Dublin passport offices will reopen to the public; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23951/20]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Cork and Dublin Passport Offices were closed to the public on 27 March 2020 in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency. The Passport Service commenced a phased return to full operation on 8 June and has since processed over 140,000 passport applications. The re-opening of the Passport Offices in Dublin and Cork to the public is kept under regular review, with due consideration being given to public health protection measures.

The Passport Online Service has been fully operational since 8 June. The awarding-winning Passport Online Service is the cheapest and most convenient way to apply for a passport. It provides a user-friendly process which is available 24/7 to those seeking to renew their passports from anywhere in the world. Children’s passports can also be renewed online. Applicants in Ireland, Northern Ireland, Great Britain and Europe who are applying for the first time are also eligible to use the online service.

The Passport Service is currently meeting the target turnaround times for Passport Online applications. This is 5 working days for simple applications and 10 working days for complex applications, once the supporting documentation has been received.

The Passport Service resumed processing paper-based postal passport applications through the Passport Express and Northern Ireland Passport Express services on 4 August. The target turnaround time for processing paper-based applications is 6-8 weeks.

Whilst the public offices in Dublin and Cork are not open to callers at present, the Passport Service continues to operate a Customer Service Hub via phone and webchat which deals with approximately 3,600 customer enquiries per week. The customer service team is able to resolve most queries at the first point of contact.

The Passport Service has also maintained its emergency service throughout the public health emergency. The emergency service is available for those who are required to travel urgently due to the death or serious illness of a family member or because the applicant requires emergency medical treatment. Members of the public who require an emergency service should contact the Customer Service Hub.