Séamus McGrath (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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103. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to provide an update on changing the process used by the passport office to verify a Garda witness (details supplied). [56821/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Passport Service is successfully responding to demand, and has issued over 805,000 passports to date this year. Virtually all complete passport applications are being processed within or before advertised turnaround times.

Certain passport application forms for applicants resident in Ireland are required to be witnessed by a member of An Garda Síochána. Approximately, 17% of all applications require Garda witnessing. These applications are:

- Post Passport;

- First Time Adult and Child Online;

The witnessing of these application forms is an important element of the identity verification process, as it provides initial assurance to the Passport Service that the person in the photograph is the same person presenting to submit the form.

In these cases, the Passport Service calls the relevant station, up to three times, to confirm that the Garda recorded the form in the station’s logbook. Applications are checked by experienced entitlement officers who endeavour to maintain up-to-date records of the opening hours of Garda stations.

Where the Passport Service cannot reach the Garda station after three attempts, the relevant Superintendent’s Office is contacted to verify the details. If the Passport Service is still unable to verify the witness, a new form will be requested from the applicant.

The Passport Service is continuously looking at ways to make the application process easier for applicants, including the enhancement of digital services, and would therefore welcome the digitisation of the records maintained by An Garda Síochána when witnessing applications.

The Passport Service maintains a close working relationship with An Garda Síochána and offers guidance to the Gardaí on the correct completion of application forms. The Passport Service will continue this engagement to discuss how we can work together to improve the service for citizens.