Vol. 517 No. 6
138 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the sections of the Department which restrict the time available to take calls form the public; the length of time this has been ongoing; the nature of the restrictions; the proposals, if any, he has to remedy this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10752/00]
As well as responding to telephone calls from the public, the visa office of the Department of Foreign Affairs accepts applications from persons who apply in person or by post for re-entry visas. In order to make the most efficient use of staff time and to provide a better service to both categories of customers, since 1992 the office attends to callers to the public office in the mornings and accepts telephone calls from 2.30 pm to 4 pm.
The accommodation and staffing of the visa office are currently being examined with a view to providing the best possible service to both personal applicants and telephone callers during normal office hours.
