Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

430. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the rationale behind the closure of the Passport Office; if the staff have been redeployed elsewhere; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12678/21]

John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

431. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the reason for the level 5 pause in respect of the issuing of passports by the Passport Office; his plans to deal with the impending delays for passport issuing given that persons need their passports on a daily basis for identification purposes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12685/21]

John Paul Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

434. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade when he expects the online passport application and renewal process to be back up and running (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12808/21]

Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

435. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade when the passport renewal services will resume; if plans are in place to deal with the backlog of applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12824/21]

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

440. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the procedure in place for persons who require a new passport that is not a renewal to receive same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13060/21]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 430, 431, 434, 435 and 440 together.

The Passport Service has paused the processing of routine applications while Ireland is at Level 5 of the National Framework for Living with COVID-19. Passport Service staff have been temporarily reassigned to provide consular assistance for Irish citizens overseas.

The Passport Service continues to provide an emergency and urgent service. The emergency service is available for those who are required to travel due to the death or serious illness of a family member or because the applicant requires emergency medical treatment. The urgent service also assists citizens who are resident abroad who require a valid passport for visa purposes or citizens who require a renewal for work purposes.

The Passport Service continues to process all renewals for work-related travel where evidence is provided. Where it is a first time application, the application will be assessed where the applicant has no other citizenship. Adult first time applications require a very high level of verification to protect the integrity of the Irish passport.

Applicants who require a passport for emergency purposes, or to travel for urgent reasons, should contact the Passport Service via our Customer Service Hub Webchat function on our website.

Irish citizens who are resident overseas should make contact through the local Irish Embassy or Consulate General, or WebChat.

The Passport Service has a comprehensive plan in place to resume all services, in line with the National Framework for Living with COVID-19. When operations resume at Level 4, all applications received via Passport Online will be processed. The Passport Service is confident, taking into account measures to ensure a safe workplace, that any Passport Online backlog can be cleared in six to eight weeks.

The Passport Service plans to resume processing of routine paper based applications such as Passport Express, Northern Ireland Passport Express and applications for Foreign Birth Registrations at Level 3 of the framework.

Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

432. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if there are full-time documentary fraud experts working in the Passport Office. [12696/21]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Passport Service takes its responsibility to protect the integrity of the Irish passport very seriously.

The Irish passport has a strong international reputation due to the strength of security features within the book and the robust processes involved in its issuance.

The Integrity Section of the Passport Service was established in 2015 to improve all aspects of fraud detection and prevention in order to protect the integrity of the passport. Staff numbers in the Integrity Section have increased in recent years and new and improved systems have been put in place. This large investment in technology and structures has helped to improve our recording and detecting of fraud.

The Passport Service has Document Validation Officers who have received training in Document Fraud awareness. The Passport Service has access to Document Experts at Forensic Science Ireland and avail of their expertise.