Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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231. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will provide an update on a foreign birth registration application (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2690/22]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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My Department is responsible for citizenship by descent through the Foreign Births Register under the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended.

The processing of Foreign Birth Registration has resumed and will be gradually scaling up in line with the recruitment of additional resources. Due to the complex nature of the Foreign Birth Registration process and the pause in the Service due to necessary Covid-19 restrictions, applicants are being advised that they should allow approximately 2 years from the receipt of supporting documentation for processing of Foreign Birth Registration applications at this time.

The referenced was registered on 18 February 2020, and will be processed in the near future. A member of the FBR team will be in touch shortly in this regard.

My Department is fully committed to allocating additional resources over the coming period to assist with the processing of the high volume of new applications anticipated, and the Foreign Birth Registration applications currently on hand.

Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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232. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will provide an update on processing times for applications for the foreign births register; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2691/22]

Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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233. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the steps being taken to reduce waiting times for applications for the foreign births register; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2692/22]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 232 and 233 together.

My Department is responsible for citizenship by descent through the Foreign Births Register under the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended.

The processing of Foreign Birth Registration has resumed and will be gradually scaling up in line with the recruitment of additional resources. Due to the complex nature of the Foreign Birth Registration process, the large increase in applications received following the Brexit vote in the UK, and the pause in the Service due to necessary Covid-19 restrictions, applicants should allow approximately 2 years from the receipt of supporting documentation for processing of Foreign Birth Registration applications at this time. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, and the subsequent reassignment of Foreign Birth Registration staff to assist in the provision of essential passport services, the Foreign Birth Registration Service was paused for nearly 15 months across the 2020-2021 period.

There are currently 32,000 applications for which documentation has been received, and which are awaiting processing. In 2021, over 7,000 Foreign Birth Registration applications were processed. Foreign Birth Registration staff continue to provide an emergency service for Foreign Birth Registration in cases of exceptional urgency, such as expectant parents, or stateless persons. Applicants who require an emergency service may contact the Passport Service directly.

My Department is fully committed to the continued allocation of additional resources over the coming period to assist with the processing of the Foreign Birth Registration applications currently on hand and the high volume of new applications anticipated this year. The Department has been actively working with the Public Appointments Service to recruit additional permanent and temporary staff for assignment to the Passport Service. This recruitment drive has been underway since the last quarter of 2021 and will double the number of staff in the Passport Service from June 2021 levels. Over 180 additional staff are being assigned to the Passport Service in January alone and further staff will be assigned in February. I am confident that the additional staff currently being assigned to the Passport Service will help to reduce turnaround times and to respond to the current and anticipated high demand for passports and Foreign Birth Registration this year.

In the context of the National Development Plan, my Department is making a major investment in the future of the Passport Service. Over the next couple of years, we will replace the core technology underpinning the service, which will deliver efficiencies and a more resilient passport and Foreign Birth Registration system. Budget 2022 also included an investment of an additional €10m in passport services in response to the increasing demand for passports and Foreign Birth Registration.