Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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34. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he is aware that there are delays in passports due to issues with validating signatures. [27596/24]

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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57. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade for an overview of the passport service to date in 2024; the number of passports that have issued to applicants from Carlow; the number of outstanding applications for passports currently awaiting processing for Carlow applicants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27590/24]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 34 and 57 together.

The Passport Service has issued over 625,000 passports to date in 2024. Virtually all complete passport applications are being processed within or before advertised turnaround times and there are no backlogs.

The Customer Service Hub is responding to over 12,000 calls and 3,000 webchat queries per week and the average wait-time for a call is now under 2 minutes.

The Passport Service is well staffed with 840 staff and is in an excellent position to deliver on the demand forecast for the rest of this year.

The Passport Service takes its responsibility to protect the integrity of the Irish passport very seriously. The Irish passport has a strong international reputation due to the strength of the security features within the passport book and the robust processes involved in its issuance. The Irish passport was recently ranked 3rd in the Henley Global Passport Index as it provides our citizens with visa-free access to 193 countries.

Accordingly, there is a rigorous checking process in place for first time applications. The witnessing of passport forms is a vital element of the identity verification process for the Passport Service, as it provides initial assurance that the person in the photograph is the same person submitting the passport application form. In the case of children, it is essential that the Passport Service verifies the consent of the child’s guardians before a passport can issue. This ensures that the Passport Service protects the integrity of the passport itself and the rights of the child and their guardians.

There are a number of reasons why a witnessed Identity form for a First Time adult applicant or a witnessed Identity and Consent form for a child might need to be resubmitted by the applicant. These include the witness or the guardians completing the form incorrectly, the correct guardians not being present when a child's form is being witnessed, the witness being unsuitable or the witness not being available to verify their signature when the Passport Service seeks verification. It is Passport Service policy to contact the witness three times before an application is rejected due to the witness being unavailable.

For each application that requires a Garda witness, the Passport Service calls the relevant Garda station to confirm that the Garda witness recorded the witnessed form in the station logbook. Passport Service staff will call the relevant Garda station up to three times to verify the Garda's signature. Where the Passport Service cannot reach the Garda station, there is a system in place whereby the Passport Service contacts the relevant Superintendent’s Office to verify the details. There is no requirement for the Passport Service to speak to the witnessing Garda as long as the Garda Station can confirm the record of the form being witnessed in the station logbook.

If the Passport Service cannot contact the witness, we will request a new Identity and Consent Form from the applicant. When an additional document is requested, the application will be processed within 15 working days of receipt of the additional document.

An online video guide that provides tips to ensure that witnessed consent forms for children are correctly submitted is available on the Passport Service website and social media channels. I encourage applicants to watch this video before they submit their application.

The number of passports issued to applicants residing in County Carlow to date in 2024 is 4,796. There are currently 831 applications in the system from Carlow residents. 365 of these are awaiting action by the applicant and 466 are being processed by the Passport Service.