Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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109. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the measures being taken to enhance consular services and modernise passport delivery for Irish citizens abroad; the current staffing levels and budget for passport and consular operations both centrally and at mission level; whether additional investment is planned under the Programme for Government commitments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43366/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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My Department, including Irish Embassies and Consulates worldwide, provides passport and consular assistance to Irish citizens at home and abroad. The provision of these services to Irish citizens is a cornerstone of the work of the officials in my Department.

The Passport Service through its ‘Digital First’ agenda has delivered significant benefits for citizens, both at home and abroad, and positioned Ireland as a global leader among passport issuing authorities. Passport Online is a world-wide digital service that is a model of both efficiency and integrity and has resulted in over 93% of citizens using the service to apply for their passports. The Irish passport book is ranked third in the Henley Passport rankings and provides visa free access to 189 jurisdictions for citizens. To date this year, the Passport Service has issued over 615,000 passports to citizens worldwide.

In line with the commitment in the Programme for Government 2025 and the proposal of the European Commission, next year the Passport Reform Programme will commence a scoping exercise and initiate a project working towards digital passports for those who want to avail of them in the future.

Currently, there is a general update of passport service policies in the context of the ongoing programme of passport service reform. This reform programme focuses on the future of service delivery by implementing projects which enhance the customer experience while maintaining the integrity of the Irish passport.

The Consular Directorate, as part of the Citizen Services Division in the Department of Foreign Affairs, has a long and proud track record of providing high quality consular services to Irish citizens abroad. This is a vital public service and a key priority of my Department.

My Department is committed to promoting an informed approach to international travel and to supporting citizens when they require consular assistance abroad, including during large-scale crises. Consular assistance is provided to Irish citizens abroad, both through the Department’s Consular Directorate in Dublin and Ireland’s network of Embassies and Consulates overseas, as well as through our network of Honorary Consuls.

The Department’s capacity to provide assistance to citizens abroad has been significantly enhanced through the opening of new missions as part of the Global Ireland programme. Global Ireland 2025 was launched by Government in 2018 with the aim of doubling Ireland’s footprint and impact by 2025. Ireland’s diplomatic footprint has expanded significantly with the opening of 22 new missions under the Strategy. A further five diplomatic missions were approved in 2024 with new embassies planned for Belgrade, Sarajevo and Chisinau, and consulates general in Melbourne and Malaga. These missions are scheduled to open over the course of 2025 and 2026, and once operational will bring the total number of Ireland’s diplomatic missions to 107.

A Global Ireland 2040 strategy will build on and continue these efforts. My Department reviews, on an ongoing basis, the structures and systems in place within the Department to support Consular staff, both at headquarters and in our missions, in their work in response to citizens in distress overseas, including those affected by crises. We will continue to invest in the technology and systems that facilitate our work in the coming years, in line with the Department’s Consular Strategy.

With regards to Deputy's question of the current staffing levels and budget for passport and consular operations both centrally and at mission level.

With regard to missions, posted officers to Ireland's 94 bilateral missions provide some form of citizen services to citizens as part of their duties. Passport Online is now available to 99.9% of citizens worldwide which has resulted in a reduction in passport-related duties for overseas missions.

There are 846 staff working across the three Passport Offices in Ireland, based in Balbriggan, Cork, and Dublin 2. The Consular Directorate currently employs 58 staff, based in Dublin and Cork.

The 2025 budget for the Passport Service, including salaries, is €67.5m The 2025 budget for the Consular Directorate, including potential large-scale crises, is €4.1m.