Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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91. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of passport applications currently with the Passport Office from persons from Cork. [21299/22]

Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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92. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of passport applications waiting over one month in Cork. [21300/22]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 91 and 92 together.

There are currently 8,300 online applications in the Passport Service system from applicants living in Cork. Over 90% of passport applicants apply using Passport Online. It is not possible to obtain the number of paper-based applications currently in the system from applicants living in Cork,

Of the number of online applications from persons from Cork, 4,800 (58%) are fully complete and are being processed by the Passport Service. The other 3,500 (42%) are incomplete, which means the Passport Service is waiting for the applicant to submit the necessary documents required. While the Passport Service makes every effort to contact the applicants in such circumstances, their experience is that many applicants take weeks and sometimes months to send in the necessary documents.

Of the 4,800 fully complete applications from persons from Cork that are currently being processed by the Passport Service, just ten applications have been with the Passport Service for over one month.

Paul McAuliffe (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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93. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the status of a passport application by a person (details supplied). [21317/22]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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With regard to the specific applications about which the Deputy has enquired, the Passport Service has issued passports to the applicants.

Steven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party)
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94. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if a passport application by a person (details supplied) will be reviewed and expedited; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21329/22]

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 regrets that an email that should have been sent on 16 March 2022 did not reach the applicant and is working to expedite the application.

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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95. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the steps that are being taken to reduce the delays in processing applications for passports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21386/22]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Passport Service is proactively managing the current demand for passports and has put in place resources and structures to address the estimated significant increase in demand for passports in 2022 in this essential citizen service.

The vast majority of applications are processed within the turnaround times outlined below:

-10 working days for Simple Adult online renewals

-15 working days for Complex or child online renewals

-30 working days for First Time Applications on Passport Online

-8 weeks for An Post’s mail-in “Passport Express” service

In addition, 45% of adult renewal online applications are issued within one working day of receipt.

Last week, the Passport Service reduced the average turnaround time for first time applications from 35 working days to 30 working days. This followed an initial reduction in processing time from 40 working days to 35 working days which was made in March, and is a direct result of the staffing and resources the Department has invested in the Passport Service.

There are currently over 167,000 applications in the Passport Service system. While there is a very high volume of applications, this does not represent a backlog. These applications are all being processed in the usual way, with a continuous stream of new applications and a continuous dispatch of completed passports happening every day.

Figures show that of the total number of applications in the system, 61% are fully complete and are being processed by the Passport Service. The other 39% of applications in the system are incomplete, which means the Passport Service is waiting for the applicant to submit the necessary documentation required. While the Passport Service makes every effort to contact applicants in such circumstances, their experience is that many applicants take weeks and sometimes months to send in the necessary documents.

The Passport Service is currently experiencing high demand for first time passports, particularly for children. First time passport applications take longer to process than renewal applications and there are a number of reasons for this. First time applications are necessarily complex to process, since, in many cases, they are applications for Irish citizenship. The Passport Service must validate the identity of the applicant and take measures to confirm the applicant’s entitlement to Irish citizenship. It is the statutory responsibility of the Passport Service to protect the integrity of the Irish passport. Accordingly, a rigorous analysis process is in place to verify the identity and citizenship status of first time applicants.

In the case of first time passport applications for children, the consent of guardians must also be thoroughly validated.

The Passport Service is taking a number steps to deal with increased demand on its services: The Passport Service has a comprehensive plan to ensure that adequate staff, accommodation and technology supports are in place to meet expected demand for passports in 2022. A major recruitment drive has been underway over the past several months, which has seen the number of Passport Service staff increase by over 300 since June 2021. The Passport Service is currently running its own recruitment competition for Temporary Clerical Officers. This recruitment effort will bring staffing numbers to over 900, which represents a doubling of staff compared to June 2021.  Intensive training of new staff and upskilling of existing staff is underway to increase the resources that can process complex applications, such as first time child applications. The Passport Service is prioritising first time applications and directing increased resources to processing these complex applications with a view to reducing the current turnaround time. Passport Service staff are working targeted overtime in this regard.

The Urgent Appointment Service is available for customers who wish to renew their passport at short notice. Customers availing of this service can renew their passport within 1 or 4 days in Dublin, within 4 days in Cork and within 5 days in London. In February, the Passport Service increased the number of appointments at its public offices by 100%, providing an extra 170 Urgent Appointments per week. A new document management system was put in place at the beginning of March. This aims to improve the processing speed in the Passport Service offices, and subsequent turnaround times for the applicant. One particular feature of the new system improves the processing time for applicants who have been asked to submit additional documents. Once the additional documents are received, they are being prioritised and complete applications can then be processed in 3 weeks. This significantly reduces the processing time, particularly for first time applicants. Public information media campaigns reminding citizens to check and renew their passports will continue during this busy year.

There is an updated Department of Foreign Affairs website, which includes a new passport service section where applicants can easily find out what additional documents are required for their type of application. The Passport Service is also working on public education materials, including video tutorials, with a view to assisting applicants to complete their application correctly. These videos will be shared on social media and will include instructions on submitting consent forms for child applications properly. I am confident that the measures that have been implemented will help to reduce passport turnaround times in the course of 2022, particularly for first time applications, and will assist the Passport Service in meeting the high demand forecast for this year.

I strongly urge anyone who is considering travelling overseas this year, particularly families with young children, to check the validity of their passports before booking travel and to apply for their passports online in plenty of time.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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96. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if documents in relation to an application for a passport in the case of a person (details supplied) will be returned; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21463/22]

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 issued a passport to the applicant and supporting documents have been returned.