Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 10 Jun 1993

Vol. 432 No. 2

Adjournment Debate. - Dublin Passport Office.

Mr. Deasy

It is that time of year again when the air conditioning system in Leinster House ceases to function and the queues in Molesworth Street for the Passport Office lengthen. The two appear to coincide. The Minister is probably well aware that on 6 May last there were parliamentary questions, including a priority question, tabled regarding the problem obtaining in the Passport Office in Molesworth Street. In reply to those questions the Minister stated that the position which developed in the Passport Office last year was exceptional, in that the postal strike coincided with the busy, peak season for passport applications. He went on to say that queues and delays on the same scale were not anticipated this year. I might point out to the Minister that they are bigger and longer and almost reached into the grounds of Leinster House yesterday morning when, at approximately 10.30 a.m., I counted something in the region of 300 people queueing at the office. The position was not much better today.

I can understand that this is the peak season when people going abroad apply but surely some better way of doing this could be organised. I do not know whether the fault lies entirely with the public all of whom apply simultaneously. Perhaps it does. But I sympathise with the staff of the Passport Office, first and foremost, and, second, with the people who must travel from all parts of the country to obtain passports, who must queue for hours on end and in some cases, having to remain in Dublin overnight. Surely some better system can be devised?

According to the Minister's reply on 6 May, 65 additional staff had been recruited to deal with the influx of applications. Perhaps that number has increased but there is something wrong. Is the Passport Office large enough and should we consider the possibility of other offices given that the office in Cork has helped in alleviating the overall position? Perhaps four or five centres should be open during certain months of the year. I would like to hear what the Minister's view is and I hope this problem can be solved.

Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs (Mr. Spring)

The Deputy has presented his case in a reasonable manner and I will try to be as constructive as possible. I am conscious that there is discontent among the public and that the current conditions in the Passport Office in Dublin are less than ideal. A combination of factors has given rise to these problems, including the cyclical nature of demand, the physical space limitations in the Passport Office and problems in predicting levels of demand from one year to the next.

Perhaps the greatest issue which inhibits accurate forward-planning is the unpredictability of the level of demand for passports. In the period 1987-91 the demand for passports was reasonably stable at around 160,000. In 1992, however, there was an increase of almost 20 per cent in demand. There has been a continued increase in demand this year to date, with a record increase of 10 per cent in May alone over the same month in previous years.

In the traditionally busy April to July period the Passport Office deals on a daily basis with an average of around 1,200 applications. In an effort to cope as promptly and efficiently as possible with this exceptionally heavy demand, significant numbers of additional temporary staff are recruited every year. At present, 86 additional temporary staff members are supplementing the permanent staff of the Passport Office. Additionally, the staff of the Passport Office are working overtime to cope with the demand.

People queue outside the office before it opens — I have seen them myself on many mornings — in order to get their business dealt with as quickly as possible when the office opens.

Mr. Deasy

We are lucky that the Progressive Democrats can get into the Dáil. They are squatting on their doorstep.

Mr. Spring

I will not comment on that matter.

Miss Quill

I thank the Minister.

Mr. Spring

To meet the consequent demand we have as an exceptional measure provided for four additional temporary counters which has done much to ease the situation. Unfortunately, due to the capacity of the present office and the large numbers of people who apply in person at this time of year it is inevitable that waiting periods in these circumstances can be somewhat long. However, I want to emphasise that nobody is turned away and all applicants who come to the Passport Office in person have their applications examined that same day.

I appreciate that some members of the public have encountered difficulties in getting though to the Passport Office by phone. We have experienced certain technical problems with a number of lines over recent weeks and we have taken prompt steps to try to rectify these. We have also advanced our planning for the expansion and modernisation of the telephone system in the Passport Office.

We have placed special emphasis on trying to overcome the problems associated with seasonality of demand. The House will recall the introduction last year of a special low-season fee for passport applications received during the months of October and November. The campaign was very well received by the public and was reasonably successful in its objective. Therefore I propose to continue this campaign this year.

The Department over the past few years has also conducted a publicity campaign with the aim of encouraging people to apply for their passports in good time. If people applied in good time they would get a very good service. As part of this campaign, the Passport Office has participated in the annual Holiday Fairs in Dublin and, as from last year, in Cork, at which it has dealt with several thousand inquiries.

In addition, the Passport Office also ran an advertising campaign in the national press at the end of March this year aimed specifically at urging those intending to travel abroad to check that they have an up-to-date passport and, if not, to apply in good time, and to apply as far as possible by post. A greater reliance on postal applications would help substantially to reduce queues in the Passport Office.

The passport application form states that six weeks should be allowed for the processing of postal applications during the peak season. However, the Passport Office consistently achieves much better turnaround rates than this. Currently, for properly completed postal applications, the waiting time is about four to four and a half weeks. This is good by international standards.

I am conscious that the acquisition of additional space would considerably ease the conditions in the public office during peak periods. Until recently, there was no suitable additional space in the building in which the Passport Office is housed in Molesworth Street. However, we are currently exploring a possible opportunity in this area and we will be following up actively on this.

A shift in demand away from the Passport Office in Dublin would, as the Deputy suggested help in reducing waiting times in the public office in the city. A regionalisation plan for the Passport Office is under active consideration within the Department. As part of this plan, we envisage the upgrading of the existing Cork office to computerise it and to make it a full passport issuing office for the Munster region. However, there is a number of aspects, including costs and security — which is always a consideration in relation to passports — which require to be considered in depth before any steps are taken. We are also considering the possibility of other regional offices in due course to eliminate the problem.

Mr. Deasy

Will the Minister put Waterford at the top of the list?

Mr. Spring

I will keep that on the file.

Mr. Deasy

We do not want to see it going to Tralee this time. That can be done later.

Mr. Spring

A fully serviced Cork office could serve the Munster region. That is our intention.

Mr. Deasy

Waterford is in the south-east.

Mr. Spring

We are currently developing a new computer system for the Passport Office which should come on stream in the autumn. This will be of considerable assistance. The new software will allow for more efficient tracking of applications, and information storage and retrieval will also be enhanced, all of which should go to improve the service to the public.

I would like, in concluding, to assure the House that it remains the objective of the Passport Office to provide a prompt, courteous and efficient service to the public. The staff in the Passport Office are highly motivated and hard-working and every effort is being made to provide the necessary resources and infrastructure to ensure an improved quality of service to the public. I am grateful to the Deputy for his remarks about the staff.