Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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97. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of foreign birth registration applications received by his Department in 2023 and to date in 2024, in tabular form; and the number of WTE staff by grade dealing with FBR applications. [45178/24]

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.

FBR applications are currently being processed within the normal turnaround time of 9 months from receipt of supporting documents. Applications which require further supporting documents will take longer to process.

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.

The Passport Service Customer Service Hub has dedicated agents to deal with Foreign Birth Registration application queries. The contact number for urgent Foreign Birth Registration queries is +353 1 568 3331. This number is also available on the Department's website.

The Passport Service provides an emergency service for Foreign Birth Registration in cases of exceptional urgency, such as expectant parents or stateless persons. Such applicants may contact the Passport Service directly. All other applications are processed in order of date of receipt.

To date this year, over 29,000 entries have been made to the Foreign Birth Register.

The number of Foreign Birth Registration applications received in 2023 and to date in 2024 are outlined below in tabular form.

There are currently 116 staff assigned to Foreign Birth Registration, the breakdown by grade is outlined in the table below.