Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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96. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the measures the WTE currently have within the passport service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10579/24]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Passport Service is well-resourced to meet forecasted demand for 2024. My Department has implemented a staffing plan to ensure that excellent customer service is maintained throughout periods of peak demand and is continuing to work to increase resources within the service.

Adequate staffing of the Passport Service to respond to demand continues to be a priority for the Department in 2024 and is an issue that is kept under constant review. The Department has run over 20 competitions since 2021 to address staffing needs in the Passport Service and a competition for Temporary Clerical Officers in the Passport Office in Balbriggan is currently underway.

The Passport Service currently has a total of 804 staff (613 permanent staff and 191 temporary clerical officers). This total staffing number equates to 780 WTE when flexible working arrangements are taken into account.

2024 is expected to be another busy year for the Passport Service and the Passport Service is in an excellent position to meet the demand forecasted for this year.

Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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97. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of passport applications received from people with addresses in the North of Ireland in the years 2013 to date, by year, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10580/24]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Passport Service is successfully meeting high demand for passports with turnaround times at or well-ahead of target, and no backlogs. The majority of online adult renewal applications issue within two working days.

The Passport Online service offers Irish citizens the ability to apply online for their passport 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It is a user-friendly, efficient service that consistently offers processing times up to 4 times faster than paper-based passport renewal applications. Just over 90% of all passport applications are made through Passport Online which is now available to 99.9% of all applicants across the world.

The number of passport applications received for applicants residing in Northern Ireland from 2013 to date are outlined below in tabular form.

Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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98. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of passport applications received from people with addresses outside of Ireland in the years 2013 to date, by year and by country, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10581/24]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Passport Service is successfully meeting high demand for passports with turnaround times at or well-ahead of target, and no backlogs. The majority of online adult renewal applications issue within two working days.

The Passport Online service offers Irish citizens the ability to apply online for their passport 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It is a user-friendly, efficient service that consistently offers processing times up to 4 times faster than paper-based passport renewal applications. Just over 90% of all passport applications are made through Passport Online which is now available to 99.9% of all applicants across the world.

The total number of applications received from applicants with addresses outside this island from 2013 to date is 1,563,703. The Passport Service has compiled the requested figures broken down by year and country, however the file is too large to include through ePQ. The Passport Service will share these figures directly with the Deputy by email.

Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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99. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the current number of passport applications on hand, including incomplete applications, by the number of months they have been in the system, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10582/24]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Passport Service is successfully meeting high demand for passports with turnaround times at or well-ahead of target, and no backlogs. The majority of online adult renewal applications issue within two working days.

The Passport Online service offers Irish citizens the ability to apply online for their passport 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It is a user-friendly, efficient service that consistently offers processing times up to 4 times faster than paper-based passport renewal applications. Just over 90% of all passport applications are made through Passport Online which is now available to 99.9% of all applicants across the world.

The Customer Service Hub currently responds to an average of 10,000 queries per week where customers can easily access the information they need.

I would ask the Deputy to encourage your constituents to apply online for the quickest, cheapest and most efficient service.

The numbers of passport applications currently in the system are outlined below in tabular form. Online applications are recorded by the date the applicant makes their application online. It is the experience of the Passport Service that it can take weeks and sometimes even months for Passport Online applicants to submit the documents required in order to progress their application. Once the applicant has submitted an application through Passport Online, the Passport Service emails them regularly to remind them to submit the required supporting documentation.

The numbers below are broken down between applications that are with the Passport Service for action and those that require further action by the applicant. Applications that are with the applicant cannot be progressed by the Passport Service until the applicant takes the required action.

Passport applications in the Passport Service (PPS) system by month

The number of passport applications that are with the Passport Service for processing six months or more represents 0.001% of the total number of applications in the system. These are very complex or sensitive cases that may involve citizenship, guardianship or legal issues. These require very thorough examination by experienced staff and can take longer to process. There are often multiple interactions between the Passport Service and the applicant or their guardians during this time, as well as with other government departments and agencies if required.