Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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124. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will consider providing more accountability and transparency within the Passport Service, and provide a meaningful escalation path that facilitates citizens having their issues resolved. [23383/24]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Passport Service has issued over half a million passports to date in 2024. The Customer Service Hub has responded to over 200,000 queries this year and is now handling up to 16,000 queries per week.

The Passport Service is well staffed with a total of 850 staff currently, and is in an excellent position to deliver the level of demand forecasted for this year, even with the busy summer season underway.

Whilst virtually all complete passport applications are being processed within advertised turnaround times, there are some complex or edge cases where applicants may need assistance. In these situations, there are several escalation paths.

The public offices of the Passport Service in Dublin 2 and in Cork operate a four-day Urgent Appointment service for renewal applicants. The Dublin office also offers a one-day Urgent Appointment service.

Renewal applicants who have already submitted a passport application either through Passport Online or Post Passport can book an urgent appointment and visit the Passport Office to apply for a passport. Once a passport has been issued, their original application will be cancelled and the fee will be refunded. Further information on the Urgent Appointment service for renewal applicants is available at www.ireland.ie/en/dfa/passports/urgent-appointment/.

In the event of sudden bereavement or serious illness of a family member abroad, the applicant should contact the Passport Office and advise them of the issue. Priority is given to these applications by the Passport Service.

The Passport Service established a phone line to respond to Oireachtas Members' queries on urgent passport cases in 2021. It is important to note that this phone line does not function as a means of expediting passport applications.

In each case raised by an Oireachtas Member, the Passport Service reviews the application in question. Applications can only be expedited in cases of genuine emergency such as a need for urgent medical treatment overseas or the death of a family member abroad.

The Passport Service plans to deliver a briefing to Oireachtas members in order to support Deputies to answer passport questions that may arise from their constituents. Planning for this briefing is currently underway.

The Passport Service has public education materials, including video tutorials and detailed instructions on the application process, available online: www.ireland.ie/en/dfa/passports/how-to-apply-for-a-passport/. These materials are regularly communicated to citizens via our social media channels.

Additionally, should assistance be required with an application, our Customer Service agents are available through phone and webchat services from Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. They can be contacted at +353 1 671 1633, or via the WebChat service: www.ireland.ie/contactpassportservice

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. Passport Online is now available to 99.9% of all applicants across the world.

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