Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

388. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the reason it is now taking up to 40 working days for parents’ passports to be returned to them after the child’s passport has been completely processed and delivered; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9284/22]

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

389. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the reasons for completed documents such as the parents’ passports being held by the passport office and not posted when a child’s passport is completed and posted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9285/22]

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

I propose to take Questions Nos. 388 and 389 together.

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 between 2 and 4 weeks to be returned to the applicant or their guardians.

The Passport Service is actively working to reduce the number of original documents required to be submitted with a passport application. The Passport Service now accepts a certified copy of a parent's Irish passport to be submitted with a child's first time application rather than the original. This allows the parent to retain their passport to facilitate any travel they may need to undertake while their child's passport is being processed and while they await the return of documentation.

My Department has been pro-actively planning to ensure the necessary resources are in place to meet the current and expected level of demand in 2022 and is making an unprecedented investment in the Passport Service in terms of additional staff and improvements to the passport processing and customer service systems. This will help to improve customer experience and reduce turnaround times, including the return of supporting documents.