Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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78. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the current number of passport applications being processed; the total number of passports issued to date in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47609/25]

Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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79. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he has considered a default, automatic renewal application email, and any other means of streamlining the passport application process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47610/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Passport Service takes every opportunity to remind citizens to check their passport validity. Each year, the Passport Service proactively plans for the demand forecasted for the year ahead. Part of this planning involves an extensive public communications campaign to encourage citizens to apply for their passport through Passport Online in plenty of time and prior to travel.

Passport Online is the quickest, easiest and most cost effective way to apply for a passport. The Passport Online service allows citizens to apply online for their passport 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Passport Online is available to 99.9% of all applicants globally. As a matter of best practice, applicants should check the validity of their passport before booking travel.

The Passport Service's programme of reform will continue throughout this year and next year, with the delivery of a number of highly complex and transformational projects that are necessary to future-proof service delivery, enhance the customer experience, ensure business continuity, and safeguard the integrity of the Irish passport. Successful delivery of these projects will ensure that Ireland remains at the forefront of passport processing worldwide. The Passport Reform programme will encompass the redesign and modernisation of the passport book and card, as well as the replacement of existing high-security printing machinery required for passport personalisation.

Along with other upgrades to the Passport Service's systems in 2026, citizens applying for a passport for the first time or renewing their passport will be able to opt in to receive electronic communications, including passport expiry reminder notices, from the Passport Service.

This service will be opt-in for several reasons. The Department has a statutory obligation from a data protection perspective to only use personal data, which may include home addresses or email addresses, where it is satisfied the data is accurate and up-to-date and would, therefore, be precluded from automatically using addresses used for the dispatch of passports 10 years ago. Unlike car tax or travel insurance, adult passports expire every 10 years and individuals may have moved residence in the interim.

The Passport Service continually works to enhance the service and provide efficiencies for customers. A number of improvements were made to the passport online platform over the past two years. These include a bespoke list of the supporting documents required for first-time applicants and a new integration feature with the General Register Office (GRO). This integration with GRO benefits a significant cohort of first-time child applicants, who are no longer required to submit a physical birth certificate. Since April 2023, over 156,000 birth certificates have been digitally received by the Passport Service from the GRO. These upgrades help to reduce the administrative burden for applicants.

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