Written answers

Tuesday, 18 May 2021

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Passport Services

Photo of Dara CallearyDara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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434. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade when the An Post passport express system will reopen for applications. [26413/21]

Photo of Denise MitchellDenise Mitchell (Dublin Bay North, Sinn Fein)
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438. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade when the backlog of the Passport Office will be cleared; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26608/21]

Photo of Simon CoveneySimon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 434 and 438 together.

The Passport Service scaled 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”.

The Passport Service is now processing all Passport Online applications. It is expected that the 89,000 applications on hand at the end of April will be processed by the end of June. Significant progress has been made thus far with approximately 24,000 passports issued since 4 May.

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 any Passport Online backlog can be cleared in six to eight weeks.

The Passport Service plans to resume processing of paper based applications such as Passport Express and Northern Ireland Passport Express once online applications have been processed. There are currently approximately 1,500 paper based applications in the system.

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