Vol. 420 No. 3
28 Mr. Harte asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will consider localising the issue of passports to county administrative level which would remove the heavy pressure on the Passport Office in Molesworth Street, Dublin 2, and in particular make it more convenient for applicants, especially those who have long distances to travel to Dublin; and if he will consider devolving the responsibility to city and county managers outside of Dublin.
42 Mr. Barry asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he proposes to upgrade the Cork Passport Office in view of the success of the operation; and if he will outline the number of passports issued in 1991.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 28 and 42 together.
Some form of regionalisation of the services currently provided by the Passport office in Dublin is a matter that I would propose to keep under review. There are a number of complex issues involved including both cost factors and, most importantly, the security dimension. In the meantime, however, every effort is being made to maximise efficiency at the Dublin and Cork offices and to continually improve the quality of service to the public.
The Passport Office in Cork has been very successful since its opening in 1987. During 1991 it handled 18,500 passport applications, representing more than 10 per cent of the national total. As part of a major recomputerisation project currently at an advanced stage of planning, it is envisaged that computer facilities will be installed in the Cork office within the next couple of years. At that time I would propose to give sympathetic consideration to upgrading the Cork office to become a full passport issuing office.
