Paul McAuliffe (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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86. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of passport applications that were processed in 2021; his plans to ensure that there are no delays in the processing of passports in 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57513/22]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Earlier this month, the Passport Service issued its 1 millionth passport of 2022. This represents the first time in the history of the State that over one million passports have been issued in a calendar year. This  surpasses its previous busiest ever year, 2019, when 935,000 passports were issued.  The Passport Service issued 634,107 passports in 2021. 

Thanks to significant investment by the Government and the dedicated work of the Passport Service staff, substantial improvements have been made this year and full, normal service has resumed. All processing times for online applications have now returned to normal pre-Covid processing times.

Over 99% of all online renewal applications are processed within the standard turnaround times. 

Over the past few months my Department has been planning to ensure that demand for passports continues to be met in 2023, with a view to maintaining target processing times throughout the year.

My Department ran 15 competitions in 2021 and 2022 to address staffing needs in the Passport Service. Adequate staffing remains a priority and recruitment will continue in the coming months. New office space on the Balbriggan campus is now open and provides over 200 additional workstations to accommodate the increase in staff numbers. This brings the total capacity of the Balbriggan campus to 500 workstations.

Currently, 100% of calls and 95% of webchats are being answered by the Customer Service Hub and customers can easily access the information they need through the Hub. The staffing plan for 2023 aims to ensure that excellent customer service is maintained during periods of peak demand.

Over 90% of applicants now apply through Passport Online. The Passport Communications Campaign for Winter 2022 - Spring 2023 will focus on highlighting the benefits of the Digital First approach for passport applications.

I am confident that the staffing and accommodation measures implemented, along with other improvements, will have a positive impact on passport processing times for 2023.