Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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324. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade when a foreign birth register application will be processed for a person (details supplied) in County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10968/23]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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My Department is responsible for processing Foreign Birth Registration (FBR) applications for people who are born abroad and claim Irish citizenship through a grandparent born in Ireland or through a parent who has claimed citizenship also through FBR, Naturalisation or Post Nuptial Citizenship.

Demand for this service increased significantly as a result of the Brexit vote in the UK. The service was also impacted by necessary Covid-19 restrictions in 2020 and 2021 and the unprecedented demand for passports seen in 2022.

During 2022, my Department implemented a number of measures to address the volume of FBR applications on hand, with a view to significantly reducing the processing time for these applications. These measures, which include increased staffing directed towards the processing of FBR applications, have had a positive impact on the waiting time for applicants. The current waiting time for FBR applications is 10 months from receipt of supporting documents, down from over 2 years in September 2022.

Foreign Birth Registration, by its nature, is a detailed and complex process, often involving official documentation relating to three generations and issued by several jurisdictions. Such documents take considerable time to validate.

With regard to the specific application about which the Deputy has enquired, there were two addresses associated with the application, so it was necessary for the Passport Service to clarify the address with the applicant before issuing the certificate. The Passport Service has contacted the applicant directly and the certificate was posted to the applicant on 2 March 2023.

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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325. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the position regarding a foreign birth registration for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11077/23]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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My Department is responsible for processing Foreign Birth Registration (FBR) applications for people who are born abroad and claim Irish citizenship through a grandparent born in Ireland or through a parent who has claimed citizenship also through FBR, Naturalisation or Post Nuptial Citizenship.

Demand for this service increased significantly as a result of the Brexit vote in the UK. The service was also impacted by necessary Covid-19 restrictions in 2020 and 2021 and the unprecedented demand for passports seen in 2022.

During 2022, my Department implemented a number of measures to address the volume of FBR applications on hand, with a view to significantly reducing the processing time for these applications. These measures, which include increased staffing directed towards the processing of FBR applications, have had a positive impact on the waiting time for applicants. The current waiting time for FBR applications is 10 months from receipt of supporting documents, down from over 2 years in September 2022.

Foreign Birth Registration, by its nature, is a detailed and complex process, often involving official documentation relating to three generations and issued by several jurisdictions. Such documents take considerable time to validate.

With regard to the specific application about which the Deputy has enquired, the application was registered on 6 July 2022 and is within the current turnaround time of 10 months.