Patrick Costello (Dublin South Central, Green Party)
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84. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if a commitment will be given to stop the policy of automatically cancelling first-time passport applications from children after six months (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23314/21]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Applications are only valid for six months primarily due to International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) regulations on the requirement for a recent photograph. The ICAO is a UN specialised agency which defines in detail the required format for a passport.

Where additional documentation has been requested and has not been received within this timeframe, these applications are cancelled. This timeframe also ensures that a refund of the fees can be processed electronically where required. If the refund is not made electronically within six months then it can take up to 12 months to process a refund by bank transfer. While I appreciate it is disappointing for applicants, I would encourage them to apply for their passport again.

The Passport Service is well advanced in its preparations for scaling up to more normal operational levels, while complying with the phased easing of restrictions set out in “COVID-19 Resilience and Recovery 2021 – The Plan Ahead”.

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.

In the event that any applicant has urgent or emergency reasons for requiring a passport, they should contact the Passport Service’s Customer Service Hub using the WebChat function on our website to make the Passport Service aware of their situation.

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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85. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade when a passport application will be processed for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23333/21]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Passport Service began scaling up to more normal operational levels on 4 May 2021, in line with the phased easing of restrictions set out in “COVID-19 Resilience and Recovery 2021 – The Plan Ahead”.

Passport Online will continue to be the priority given the efficiencies that are in-built into the system for both the applicant and the Passport Service. The processing of an online application is up to four times as fast as a paper application. In addition, the use of Passport Online can facilitate social distancing, given that a renewal application for an adult does not require the signature of a witness.

Passport Online can be accessed by first time applicants, both children and adults, in Ireland, Northern Ireland, Great Britain, Europe, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the USA. All Irish citizens, including children, can use the online system to renew their passports from anywhere in the world.

The Passport Service has a great deal of experience in dealing with peaks in demand, and we are confident, taking into account measures to ensure a safe workplace, that the Passport Online applications on hand can be cleared in six to eight weeks.

In the event that any applicant has urgent or emergency reasons for requiring a passport, they should contact the Passport Service’s Customer Service Hub, by WebChat, to make the Passport Service aware of their situation.

With regard to the specific application about which the Deputy has inquired, an official from the Passport Service contacted the applicant's mother on 4 May 2021 to provide an update on the status of the passport application.