Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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273. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade further to parliamentary question No. 462 of 9 September 2021 and No. 123 of 13 October 2021, the position regarding a passport application by a person (details supplied) in Dublin 11; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58541/21]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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With regard to the specific application about which the Deputy has enquired, the Passport Service has provided an update to the applicant as to the steps they must take to progress their passport application.

Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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274. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will provide an update on the criteria for issuing an emergency travel certificate in tabular form; the number issued by month between January 2019 and October 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58672/21]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Emergency Travel Certificates are issued by Irish missions overseas to Irish citizens with a valid reason for emergency travel. Emergency Travel Certificates are valid only for a single journey and generally relate to an Irish citizen travelling abroad whose passport has been lost or stolen and who wishes to return to Ireland.

Applicants for an Emergency Travel Certificate are required to submit:

- Passport photos and completed passport application form

- Expired passport if available

- A police report if passport is lost, stolen or damaged

- Proof of emergency

- Proof of travel

- Photo ID or other identification documents

- Photo ID or other identification documents of guardians if issuing to a child

Passport Service records of Emergency Travel Certificates issued by month from January 2019 to October 2021 are outlined in the table below.

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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275. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade when the parents of a child (details supplied) can expect to have their passports returned; the reason for the delay in returning same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58694/21]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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With regard to the specific application about which the Deputy has enquired, the parents' passports that were submitted with the application of their child have been returned.

The Passport Services prioritises dispatching the applicant's passport once it has been issued. Supporting documents submitted with the application are dispatched separately and, depending on current volumes, can take a number of weeks to be returned to the applicant or their guardians.

Resourcing the Passport Service is of the highest priority for my Department who are actively working with the Public Appointments Service to recruit both permanent and temporary staff between now and the end of January 2022. This will double the number of staff from June levels to a total of 920 staff by the end of January. These additional resources will help to improve customer experience and reduce turnaround times, including the return of supporting documents.